Factors influencing lean implementation in healthcare organizations: An ISM approach

Healthcare organizations implement lean practices to improve service quality and competitive advantage. It eliminates the process waste leading to improved healthcare service at a reduced cost. This study attempts to analyse the relationship among the factors that influence implementation success using Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM). Its contribution to the body of knowledge is twofold. First, it provides a hierarchical structure displaying the driving and dependent factors. Second, it ranks the factors affecting the implementation success based on the degree of influence. The factors have been identified by taking inputs from existing literature and expert opinion. The conceptual relationship among the factors has been determined by conducting a survey among healthcare professionals and the final analysis has been done using ISM. The findings suggest that leadership is the most crucial factor for a successful implementation. Apart from this, having a clear goal in advance for the project and adequate training of the workforce are instrumental in lean intervention. Finally, limitation and future research avenues have been outlined to extend the current study.