Managing the Conflict between Economic and Social Factors in a Lean Context

Abstract

The Lean approach has been a huge success in various public and private entities throughout the world over the last few decades. However, there are still expected needs regarding the social climate to improve working conditions of the employees. This paper presents the conflict between economic and social factors, which has a huge effect on staff involvement and motivation. This article is based on a descriptive investigation that involved 130 people. According to survey data, more than 60% of individuals believe that Lean degrades social factors, particularly in impoverished nations. A case study was conducted to present a real-life example of Lean’s negative effects on working conditions. This example clearly demonstrates the influence of Lean on ergonomics, safety, and environment (ESE). This paper allows for a better understanding of the negative effects of Lean on social factors and business performance.