Building Lean Bodies With Lean Management: Implementation of Lean Principles in Entrepreneurship

This paper presents the entrepreneurship specifics of lean management implementation for continuous innovation and business sustainability. It summarises the results of lean management implementation in a condition and strength-building company. The firm applies a community-based business model. The firm expansion and the constraints on the operational management processes of this SME motivate the research.Design/methodology/approach: The research design for the paper is a case study (Bryman & Bell, 2015). The research explores the implementation of lean principles and tools in the firm. The case study compares the specific parameters of the internal processes before and after lean implementation. The parameters vary based on the project but are usually time, distance and financial aspects. Personal interviews with first-line workers provide information about the consequences of this approach among the personnel.Findings: The firm applies lean principles and tools in the processes of Check-in, Purchase, Supply and Check-out. Lean implementation provides specific improvements in these processes such as 66% reduction in lead time, 85% reduction in distance and the creation of the first standard for these processes. Preliminary non-structured interviews show the positive reaction of the personnel with reference to the lean implementation. The sustainability of the business model requires standards at each small activity of the organization. These standards allow the organisation to learn from their activities, to track improvements and they provide management with clear information about operations.Research/practical implications: The paper offers new evidence of lean implementation in a non-traditional and modern sector. The firm obtains practical implementations to improve its operation. Future research will explore the operations leanness of similar organisations.Originality/value: The novelty of the paper confronts the expectation that a company with a mission to help people build lean bodies possess a lean operation. However, process mapping and other lean analysis suggests the opposite. The evidence from this case study brings value and motivation to many entrepreneurs for other similar companies.