Positive lean: merging the science of efficiency with the psychology of work

Lean is a powerful management system aimed at improving efficiency and operational effectiveness. Since its emergence in the automotive industry, lean has been adapted for use in almost all manufacturing and service industries. And yet, most lean implementations fail to achieve their efficiency goals and many have deleterious impacts on the workforce. We trace both failures to a historical departure of lean practices from known principles of factory physics and job design. By leveraging these principles, we describe how lean practices can be designed to promote both operational efficiency and increased workforce satisfaction.