Abstract
Lean Six Sigma tools have been increasingly employed also in the service industry, however with different success as field studies have shown. The reason not only has to be attributed to a poor Change Management, but can also be attributed to the intrinsic characteristics of the Lean techniques, which have been tailored to sustain a stable customer-takted pull-manufacturing principle. An office workplace shows significant differences to a procedural shop floor environment, as it comprises both, procedural and relational processes. The office environment, therefore, cannot be described by a purely transactional shop floor model—it necessitates a separate model, with a differenciated approach, which covers the procedural as well as the relational aspects of office tasks. Also the different characteristics of the transaction object as well as the operation transformation and process governance do not allow an un-adapted application of Toyota’s comprehensive Lean toolset. The approach of Lean for the office environment needs a reinterpretation of the Lean logic and TPS Lean tools for the procedural part as well. Therefore, different and adapted approaches and tools are clearly necessary. The paper shows the objectives and principles of Lean and why Lean manufacturing is also interesting to be applied in the office environment. The differences between office and production jobs are detailed and introduce the problem of lean application in the office. The particular characteristics of the office environment are discussed and enable to enter into the Relational Office Model. Furthermore, we explain the paradigm shift which is necessary to take full benefit of the Lean approach in the office environment, however without presenting the reinterpreted office Lean toolset due to space reasons. This will be the topic of a next paper.
Highlights
Productivity has become an absolute key characteristic since long for industry, but for services as well
In order to achieve operational excellence, managers use the Lean and Six Sigma tools that were initially developed for production purpose
Lean tools may only be partly applied without major change, as the characteristics of the office processes are very different from the industrial manufacturing processes
Summary
Productivity has become an absolute key characteristic since long for industry, but for services as well. In order to achieve operational excellence, managers use the Lean and Six Sigma tools that were initially developed for production purpose. The results of this approach were quite mixed, and in many cases did not attain the expected results. Lean tools may only be partly applied without major change, as the characteristics of the office processes are very different from the industrial manufacturing processes. These differences are worked out in a comparative analysis in terms of transaction objects, process characteristics and work execution. We sketch the specific properties and show that a reinterpretation of Lean tools is necessary for a Lean Office approach
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