Managing Lean Manufacturing and Innovation - a case study analyzing Lean Manufacturing activities and how they interplay with incremental innovation

Abstract

Innovation activities have been recognized as important to strengthen the capabilities and opportunities of an organization, while Lean Manufacturing has been increasingly acknowledged as an efficient management concept throughout several industries during the last decades. It is of interest to examine how Lean Manufacturing and innovation activities interplay. the research within this field is limited, yet the research has increased during the previous years. The purpose of this study is to provide comprehensive insights and findings into the aspects of Lean Manufacturing and how it can promote incremental innovation activities in an organization. A case study was utilized in this study through a qualitative approach. The empirics of the study were conducted through semi-structured interviews with experienced professionals in the automotive industry within Lean Manufacturing, the literature review was conducted through literature within the fields of Lean Manufacturing and innovation. Most of the previous studies within this research field were conducted with a qualitative approach. The study addresses the research question of; “How can Lean Manufacturing activities promote incremental innovation capabilities in an organization?”. The findings suggest Lean Manufacturing promotes innovation activities and how waste reduction can promote the reallocation of resources towards proactive and innovative initiatives. The conclusion further suggests that several approaches can support an organization in innovation activities, the findings of this study align with the findings of previous research. The study further concluded the importance of communication and leadership to maximize the effects and outputs from Lean Manufacturing and innovation activities and reduce the resistance to changes in an organization further intending to increase organizational flexibility. These findings further widen and nuanced the perspectives within this research field. Furthermore, the study concludes the importance of evaluations and measurements before implementing adjustments and improvements, and before reallocating the project resources towards other activities. This approach reduces the risks of unwanted scenarios and deviations from the changes.