Can human lean practices affect business performance? Evidence from Zimbabwe service industries

Purpose This research seeks to explore the interrelationships between human lean practices (HLP) and their impact on the business performance of service industries. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire was used to collect data from the service industries in Zimbabwe, and 260 valid responses were obtained. The questionnaire was analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) in SmartPLS. Findings Both the managerial human lean practices (MHLP) and employee human lean practices (EHLP) were found to positively impact business performance. Also, the MHLP had a positive relationship with EHLP. Research limitations/implications The research focused on Zimbabwe’s service industry; hence, the results may not be readily adopted by other industries and countries without further investigations. Practical implications The improvement in business performance is centered on the activities of humans, both the employees and managers. Therefore, organizations should invest more in human resources to enhance their performance. Originality/value Lean manufacturing (LM) is well known for its adoption in the manufacturing industry; thus, extending it to other sectors requires further research. Although a few studies have investigated the effect of adopting Lean in the service sector, they did not explore the relationship between MHLP and EHLP and the importance of such a relationship toward improved business performance.