Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Program
Business
Supervisor
Larry Menor
Abstract
This research offers several noteworthy contributions to advancing a more comprehensive scholarly theorization and managerial understanding of the prerequisites for deploying a “strategically ready” approach to lean management (LM). The first contribution is the conceptualization of a productive LM deployment model as a three phased value generation approach: (1) value design, (2) value delivery, and (3) value capture. This conceptualization is theoretically framed by Resource Advantage Theory and resource orchestration. Supporting this value generation conceptualization is a LM Competence comprised of two operational capabilities: (1) LM Preparation and (2) LM Implementation. In concert, these two capabilities generate a resource comparative advantage, reflecting the firm’s LM Competence. This competence produces potential marketplace competitive advantages and the accruing of Lean-Based Benefits for and from customers.
The second contribution made by this research is the development of reliable and valid measurement instruments for the model constructs. By conducting a review of the literature, four inductive case studies, and two rounds of knowledgeable judge pre-testing, potential measurement items were rigorously scrutinized for adequacy. Subsequently, survey data collected from a sample of 201 US emergency department nurses, experienced in the deployment of lean-based initiatives, was used to subject the scales to further refinements until acceptable reliability and validity levels were attained.
The third contribution this research makes is the empirical measurement of the firm’s LM Competence. An empirical study of the organizational and operational capabilities that underpin the possession of a LM Competence had not been previously been completed; quantification of the effects of LM Preparation Capability (and its dimensions) on LM Competence were significant and meaningful. The results of this research place explicit focus on the productiveness of managerial preparation decisions and actions critical to the cultivation, leveraging and possession of resources, capabilities and competency that ensure the efficient and effective throughput functionality of work efforts and work flows central to any LM deployment initiative.
The conceptualization and empirical findings highlights the need for adopting firms to undertake a more mindful and productively purposeful, “strategically ready” approach to LM deployment and should complement existing lean practices and outcomes research and enrich future scholarly investigations.
Recommended Citation
Barrett, David, "An Empirical Investigation of the Influence of Preparation and Implementation Capabilities on Lean Management Competence" (2014). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 2340.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/2340