The translation of Lean management: Prospects of a relational approach for successful practice

This article reconceptualizes Lean (management) from a concept that is instrumental to managers to a concept that develops through its relations with other (human) actors. Lean is not a guided process of implementation; rather, Lean transforms through network dynamics into forms that are not predefined. Using a case study from a public sector organization, the authors show that translation is not a linear implementation process and does not result in one stable Lean. Instead, it results in many different (sometimes temporal) 'local' Leans. The article contributes to theorizing about Lean, as well as to success factors in making Lean work in practice.