Lean Stress Sensitization in Learning Factories

Abstract

Nowadays, challenges like increasing product varieties or the demographic change, force companies to reinvent their organizational structure frequently. By means of implementing Lean Production Systems (LPS) many firms were able to eliminate unnecessary waste and therefore gradually improve their production processes. However, due the fact that the abovementioned organizational changes can always have a direct impact on the stress level of individuals, knowledge regarding this potentially harmful interrelation is inevitable for a company's overall productivity. Leaders are of particular importance in this construct, because their attention towards stressed employees represents the decisive lever in preventing productivity losses and costs caused by stress-related illness. However, a recent study revealed that future Engineering Managers do not understand the relationship between the implementation and execution of Lean initiatives and increased levels of employee stress.This paper proposes a concept for including harmful socio-technical interrelations like employee stress into learning factories. A learning environment that combines interdisciplinary training concepts provides an ideal basis for demonstrating and explaining potential employee stress. As a result, leaders will pay increased attention to include stress management in their daily leadership routines and become better in promoting a culture that focuses on adding value rather than generating illness-related costs.