The Change in Communication Patterns in Teams Implementing Lean

Abstract

Team dynamics in companies implementing the Lean production paradigm are not clearly understood, and overlooked as success factors for the implementation of such systems. In this paper it is argued that the parameters describing communication networks change dramatically as a number of teams embark on a Lean transformation. This exploratory paper presents data from multiple sites that show that indeed, business units succeeding in their implementation of Lean undergo a drastic transformation in their teams' communication patterns, and this change is more pronounced in more successful cases. Conclusions from the exploratory phase of the study suggest that in order to support successful implementations of Lean, management need to facilitate the changes in team network dynamics that are associated with rapid evolution towards a Lean enterprise.