The human side of lean logistics

Logistics is a highly competitive industry, hence logistic service providers (LSP) generally tend to get small margins on their activities. This promotes a managerial tendency to see labor as a source of costs that needs to be disciplined and controlled, rather than a source of added value that needs to be fostered. As a consequence, work pressure is high and the motivating potential of jobs may suffer. In this paper we contend that the concept of “creative tension” (Womack, Jones, & Roos, 1990) taken from the lean production (LP) philosophy may provide for the LSP a way to reconcile the need for added value and the need for cost control. Lean jobs not only require workers to continuously reduce waste in the work environment, but they also bestow on them certain responsibilities to create value. Their contributions to Kaizen support a company’s lean journey. In this paper we show that lean can overcome the misfit between worker expectations and job characteristics which will enhance employees’ personal outcomes. The fit between job characteristics and workers’ expectations and preferences was investigated using Hackman & Oldham’s job characteristics model (JCM; Hackman & Oldham, 1976). A survey to measure the variables from the JCM was administered to a sample of 32 employees from a Dutch LSP. The most important result indicated that the extent to which the level of creativity desired by workers fitted the level of creativity required by their jobs was a strong predictor of psychological states (e.g. meaningfulness) and outcomes (e.g. turnover intent) Given the possibilities offered by the concept of creative tension, we argue that the lean philosophy provides the tools to promote the human side of logistics

Measuring the degree of leanness in logistics service providers:Development of a measurement tool

Logistic service providers and their customers benefit from leanness, but how lean are they? We adapted the lean measurement instrument developed by Shah and Ward (2007) to make it suitable for a logistic service environment. We removed some items, and added new ones on the basis of the triadic nature of relationships between LSPs, outsourcers, and their clients, and on the basis of the content of processes. The modified instrument was tested with two LSPs that claimed to apply the lean philosophy in their processes, and demonstrated a valid measurement of leanness of LSPs

Creative tension in a lean work environment:implications for logistics firms and workers

In this paper we use the concept of “creative tension” from the lean production philosophy to reconcile the need for added value and cost control in logistics. Due to thin profit margins, a managerial orientation on logistics employees as a source of costs rather than a source of added value prevails. However, to foster employee well-being and organizational effectiveness, a fit is needed between the job characteristics influenced by the need for process control, and workers' need for autonomy and creativity in their jobs. The fit hypothesis was tested across two logistics service providers. Results from both studies indicated that challenging and enabling workers to creatively use their talents and skills in daily work will most likely lead to positive results