Print Print

CM Ø94 - Lean Implementation: a change management perspective* *CLOSED FOR FURTHER ENROLMENT*

Faculty
Malek Maalouf
Course Coordinator
Jan Mouritsen
Prerequisite/progression of the course
Basic knowledge about Lean and/or reading of the first 3 chapters of the following book:
  • Womack, J., Jones, D.T. and Ross, D. (1990), The Machine That Changed the World, Rawson Associates, New York, NY.
Course content, structure and teaching
The implementation of Lean is considered by many authors to be a radical change in the organizations. Despite attempts, many companies have not been able to capture or sustain the benefits of a lean transformation. From the literature, it is clear that Lean represents a fundamental change and that in order to succeed the companies should be willing to perform the transformation needed to implement and sustain this philosophy within the organization. The success of lean implementation depends on achieving a change in the core values of the company. Many authors attribute the failure in achieving the results expected from lean implementation to focus on implementing the technical tools and neglecting the cultural and strategic side of lean.
In this course I will introduce a known change management model in order to approach the implementation of lean in companies. I will use also cases from companies who have implemented or trying to implement lean and link them to the content and theories discussed in the class.
The course is composed of lectures supported by cases and reading of cited articles.
The course starts with a presentation of Lean Tools (the hard part of lean) and Lean Philosophy (the soft part of lean). In the following lecture the change management model is presented with its main components: Environment, Leadership, Culture, Mission & Strategy and Performance. Each of the following lectures is dedicated to discuss one of these components within the model. The idea is to analyze and understand how each of these complements and the interplay among them will impact the implementation of lean.
After the course, the student will be able to understand the relation of areas and concepts like culture and Leadership to the success of the implementation of lean.
The course's development of personal competences
  • The students will practice the reading of articles from high ranking journals.
  • The students will improve the ability to extract relevant information and insights from an article.
  • The students will also present and discuss findings and comments in groups.
Learning Objectives
In order to achieve the grade 12 at the exam, the students must be able to understand and justify how culture, leadership and other factors of the business impact lean implementation in a specific situation presented in the exam. The challenge will be the development of the ability to choose the best approach and use of the relevant theories presented in the class in order to explain the specific case.
Type of examination, exam aids and assessment
4 hour written exam, open book.
Recommended literature
The following articles are basic reading and will be referred to during the course:
  • Hines, P. et al. (2004), Learning to evolve: A review of contemporary lean thinking, International Journal of Operations & Production Management Vol. 24, N0. 10, 2004 pp. 994-1011.
  • Holweg M. (2007), The genealogy of lean production, Journal of Operations Management, Vol. 25, Issue 2,March 2007, P. 420-437.
  • Burke W. W., Litwin G. H., (1992), “A Causal Model of Organizational Performance and Change”, Journal of Management, Vol. 18, No. 3, 523-545.
Selected chapters from the following 2 books will also be recommended during the course before the respective lectures:
  • Womack, J., Jones, D.T. and Ross, D. (1990), The Machine that Changed the World, Rawson Associates, New York, NY.
  • Womack, J. and Jones, D. (2003), Lean Thinking, Simon & Schuster, London.

Sidst opdateret af The Electives Office 04.02.2010