Thomas Janoski

Darina Lepadatu

This book examines the dominance and significance of lean organizing in the international economy. Scholars from each discipline see lean production as positive or negative; the book blends theory with practice by sorting out these different academic views and revealing how lean is implemented in different ways. The first part synthesizes academic research from a range of disciplines—including, engineering, sociology, and management—to present the reader with an integrated understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of lean management. The second part links this theory to practice, with a set of case studies from companies like Apple, Google, Nike, Toyota, and Walmart that demonstrate how lean is implemented in a variety of settings. The book concludes with three models, explaining how Toyotism, Nikefication with offshoring, and Waltonism provide full or less complete models of lean production. It clearly presents the positive and negative aspects of lean and insights into the culture of lean organizations. With its rich interdisciplinary approach, Framing and Managing Lean Organizations in the New Economy will benefit researchers and students across a range of classes from management, sociology, and public policy to engineering.

Framing and Managing Lean Organizations in the New Economy

This handbook focuses on two sides of the lean production debate that rarely interact. On the one hand, management and industrial engineering scholars have presented a positive view of lean production as the epitome of efficiency and quality. On the other hand, sociology, industrial relations, and labor relations scholars focus on work speedups, management by stress, trade union positions, and self-exploitation in lean teams. The editors of this volume understand the merits of both views and present them accordingly, bridging the gaps among five disciplines and presenting the best of each perspective. Chapters by internationally acclaimed authors examine the positive, negative and neutral possible effects of lean, providing a global view of lean production while adjusting lean to the cultural and political contexts of different nation-states. As the first multi-lens view of lean production from academic and consultant perspectives, this volume charts a way forward in the world of work and management in our global economy.

Darina Lepadatu

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