Lean production system development through leadership practices

Purpose: Although lean methods are considered easy to be implemented during the initial phases of the lean transformation process, few companies are able to maintain them in long term. One of the key factors for this maintenance is the role played by the leaders in their teams. The purpose of this paper is to show the outcomes of an action research that analyzed and developed leadership practices, using the lean leadership model for developing people as reference and considering the factors: to promote employees’ self-development; to coach and develop employees; to support daily kaizen; to create vision and align goal. Design/methodology/approach: The results of this study are based on the action research method applied in a large Brazilian industrial company. The study was structured considering the phases of problem diagnosis, action plan, implementation and evaluation of practical and theoretical results. Findings: The leadership practices implemented from the model were shown to be adequate to the lean production system (LPS) and it was observed that reflecting on the processes and the organizational learning are two main concepts that these practices support in the organization. Research limitations/implications: Since this study is based on action research in a single company, the generalization of results is limited. Suggestions for future research include the development of a quantitative research in different industrial contexts. Practical implications: The practical implications of this research are to present activities that must be developed by the leadership of organizations to maintain LPS. Originality/value: This paper raises the problems of organizational leadership that limit the implementation and maintenance of LPS, presenting the planning and implementation of changes in leadership practices to solve these problems.