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Human Relations, Vol. 48, No. 12, 1403-1425 (1995)
DOI: 10.1177/001872679504801202

Factors Predicting Employees' Approval of Lean Production

Mark A. Shadur

John J. Rodwell

Greg J. Bamber

Australian Centre in Strategic Management, Queensland University of Technology, GPO Box 2434, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 4001.

A number of influential studies advocate the adoption of a lean production system (LPS) in order to improve quality and efficiency in Western automotive plants. Critics argue that such systems place excessive demands upon employees. Very little survey data, however, is available on employees' attitudes toward lean production since companies are frequently reluctant to grant such access. Our survey of 200 employees in a Japanese-owned automotive plant in Australia using lean production found that commitment to the company, speed of work and, in special circumstances, age were predictors of employees' approval of the LPS. Employees' perceived levels of stress and Japanese management techniques, such as consultation and a teamwork orientation, were not predictors of approval of the LPS, a finding that contradicts earlier research in this field. Other variables in the analysis, including employee demographics, had no predictive value. We use the results to comment on the wider debate about the transfer of Japanese manufacturing practices to Western countries.

Key Words: lean production • Japanese management • transferability • employee attitudes • quality


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