Browsing by Author "Cuskic, Milos"

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CHARACTERISTICS OF A LEAN COMPANY A quantitative study analysing the characteristics and environment of a lean company
(2021-06-30) Kok, Thomas Hendrik; Azelius, Mikaela; Cuskic, Milos; University of Gothenburg/Department of Business Administration; Göteborgs universitet/Företagsekonomiska institutionen
The purpose of this study is to comprehend what the characteristics are for companies that use lean, and where they operate. Earlier studies are often from a qualitative approach, where this study instead will be from a quantitative approach with survey data. The study presupposes two research questions; What characterizes a lean company with regards to performance/targets, incentives/people, & macro-level factors, and In what regions are lean practices more common and how do the factors regarding performance/targets & incentives/people differ between the regions? The study is realised with survey data from the World Management Survey, Sustainable Development Report, and the World Bank. The findings suggest that companies using lean often use a high level of other modern management practices such as focusing on long-term goals or non-financial performance. Other findings show that the regions Europe, North America, and Oceania have a larger scale of lean implementation than the regions East Asia, South America, and Asia. The most findings correspond with earlier previous studies and the most of the findings are as expected.
Managing Lean Manufacturing and Innovation - a case study analyzing Lean Manufacturing activities and how they interplay with incremental innovation
(2024-07-09) Cuskic, Milos; University of Gothenburg/Graduate School; Göteborgs universitet/Graduate School
Innovation activities have been recognized as important to strengthen the capabilities and opportunities of an organization, while Lean Manufacturing has been increasingly acknowledged as an efficient management concept throughout several industries during the last decades. It is of interest to examine how Lean Manufacturing and innovation activities interplay. the research within this field is limited, yet the research has increased during the previous years. The purpose of this study is to provide comprehensive insights and findings into the aspects of Lean Manufacturing and how it can promote incremental innovation activities in an organization. A case study was utilized in this study through a qualitative approach. The empirics of the study were conducted through semi-structured interviews with experienced professionals in the automotive industry within Lean Manufacturing, the literature review was conducted through literature within the fields of Lean Manufacturing and innovation. Most of the previous studies within this research field were conducted with a qualitative approach. The study addresses the research question of; “How can Lean Manufacturing activities promote incremental innovation capabilities in an organization?”. The findings suggest Lean Manufacturing promotes innovation activities and how waste reduction can promote the reallocation of resources towards proactive and innovative initiatives. The conclusion further suggests that several approaches can support an organization in innovation activities, the findings of this study align with the findings of previous research. The study further concluded the importance of communication and leadership to maximize the effects and outputs from Lean Manufacturing and innovation activities and reduce the resistance to changes in an organization further intending to increase organizational flexibility. These findings further widen and nuanced the perspectives within this research field. Furthermore, the study concludes the importance of evaluations and measurements before implementing adjustments and improvements, and before reallocating the project resources towards other activities. This approach reduces the risks of unwanted scenarios and deviations from the changes.