Modeling Management in Lean Production Environments: A Study of Italian SMEs

This study investigates the management behaviors associated with successful processes of lean transformation applying regression and non-parametric statistical analysis to an original dataset coming from field research on 26 processes of lean transformation in North Italian small and medium manufacturing enterprises. We test if a repertoire of lean management behaviors drawn from the literature captures the essence of management in lean production environments, and find that these behaviors actually correlate with the degree of advancement of the lean transformation process.