Leadership for success with lean manufacturing: The relationship between style and successful implementation

Continuous improvement programs are implemented by manufacturers to achieve strategic initiatives like reducing costs, improving quality, and reducing delivery lead time to customers. The most popular continuous improvement program selected by manufacturers is lean manufacturing. However, the success rate of the lean implementation programs has proven to be less than desirable. Research studies indicate that the success of lean programs and developing a continuous improvement culture depends primarily upon the leadership behaviors of top managers. Some research considers the possibility of specific leadership styles and characteristics as more appropriate for leaders to result in a successful lean program. Three leadership models (transactional leadership, transformational leadership, and path-goal theory leadership) are considered within this research to determine if one aligns best with successful lean implementation programs. A self-rater multifactor leadership questionnaire (MLQ), Form 5X combined with one performance rating question were distributed to top managers within 200 companies who had participated in a lean program implementation within a 2-5 year period. The data from 38 respondents was analyzed using a correlation analysis. The results indicated that there was no correlation between one leadership model for top managers and lean implementation program success. Instead, the results indicated that leadership characteristics from the three models reviewed in this research would be a more appropriate approach to consider in future research.