Measuring the importance and practices of Lean values

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the result from a study carried out at an organization, which has recently started applying Lean, to examine changes in the importance and presence of Lean values within the organization in relation to when different parts of the organization started to apply Lean. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was used at three different groups at a dental care provider. ANOVA was used to detect any differences in regards to the importance and practice of five Lean values in relation to time since the clinics started to apply Lean. Findings – The study showed no difference between the three groups in relation to the stated importance of the values, something that could indicate that there is a commonly shared value base in the organization. The only difference that was statistically significant was with regard to the presence of the values “continuous improvement” and “supportive leadership” between Groups 1 (pilot, 18 month since starting to apply Lean) and 3 (not yet started to apply Lean). Research limitations/implications – The research was conducted as one single study in one organization and further research should be done in other organizations and types of businesses. Practical implications – The questionnaire can be used in organizations to put focus on cultural change when applying Lean both when it comes to practice as well as importance. Originality/value – Traditional measures mainly focus on hard measurements when measuring the progress in applying quality initiatives such as Lean. This questionnaire can complement these traditional measurements and create a greater focus on the cultural changes in the organization.