Comparison of Lean Tools and Techniques Implementation between Large and Small Firms in Malaysian Organizations

Abstract

This study examines lean tools and techniques based on their awareness, usage, effectiveness, and possible future adoption between Large Firms and Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs) in Malaysian organizations. Currently, there are no such data has been found in Malaysia to compare the lean tools and techniques implementation for both firms to help the organization to know what the best lean tools and techniques for their nature of businesses. An online survey was conducted in this study using a questionnaire to gather data from 114 respondents from 14 states, and the results were analysed using the IBM SPSS statistical software. The results of the survey showed that there were no significant differences (p<0.05) between both large firms and small medium enterprise (SMEs) organizations for the majority of lean tools and techniques. Study findings, however, show that Malaysian Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) adopt some lean tools and techniques more often than large organizations. It is important for managers to know the current levels of awareness for lean tools and techniques based on their nature of business to help them adopt and consequently improve their knowledge of lean tools and techniques which is lacking.