Research Themes

Continuous Improvement Approaches

While ‘Lean Thinking’ is LERC’s overarching CI term, there are many other words and terms used for continuous improvement. This theme considers these and the degree to which they are complementary or competitive to Lean Thinking.

Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0, or the fourth industrial revolution, refers to automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies and includes big data, cyber-physical systems, the Internet of things, cloud computing robotics and robotic process automation

Innovation & NPD

Leadership

It is generally accepted that leadership plays a pivotal role in implementing lean and the characteristics of a ‘lean leader’ have become more clearly defined in recent years.

Lean Definition & Evolution

Lean thinking has evolved considerably since it was popularised in the 1990’s largely through the works of Womack & Jones and this theme examines how it is currently defined and how its definition may evolve further in the future

People & Behaviour

This theme seeks to explore the human dimension of lean thinking, encompassing engagement, motivation, psychology, leadership, teamwork and culture.

Public Value

Lean has been applied in a wide range of public service organisations for over a decade, largely using the same principles and implementation approaches. This theme considers the appropriateness and applicability of this and explores the notion of public value as an enabler of redefined lean principles for public services.

Service Productivity

Measuring productivity in services is a more complex task compared to manufacturing and while ultimately a lean service initiative should impact service productivity in a positive way, there is little research in the area.

Supply Chain Transformation

It is argued that it is only when an entire supply chain is transformed along lean lines that significant, system wide benefits arise. This theme examines the task of mobilising and coordinating people, processes, partners and technologies to dramatically improve supply chain performance.

Sustainability Enablers & Barriers

The sustainability of improvement activities and an improvement culture is a perennial issue for academics and practitioners and this theme continues to explore the enablers and barriers involved

Techniques

There is a myriad of techniques and approaches available for the lean practitioner to use and the right selection will have big impact on achieving the desired results. This theme explores the form and function of techniques and their effectiveness in different contexts and situations.

Training System Structures & Methods

Organisations are employing a diverse range of education and training models in order to deliver effective lean knowledge transfer to employees in an effort to get them to apply tools and techniques to make improvements. This theme aims to understand the nature of the approaches taken and their impact.