Lean leadership: an ethnographic study.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study is to provide a critical analysis of contemporary Lean leadership in the context of a healthcare practice. The Lean leadership model supports professionals with a leading role in implementing Lean. This article presents a case study focusing specifically on leadership behaviours and issues that were experienced, observed and reported in a Dutch university medical centre.


METHODS
This ethnographic case study provides auto-ethnographic accounts based on experiences, participant observation, interviews and document analysis.


RESULTS
Characteristics of Lean leadership were identified to establish an understanding of how to achieve successful Lean transformation. This study emphasizes the importance for Lean leaders to go to the gemba, to see the situation for one's own self, empower health-care employees and be modest. All of these are critical attributes in defining the Lean leadership mindset.


CONCLUSIONS
In this case study, Lean leadership is specifically related to healthcare, but certain common leadership characteristics are relevant across all fields. This article shows the value of an auto-ethnographic view on management learning for the analysis of Lean leadership. The knowledge acquired through this research is based on the first author's experiences in fulfilling his role as a health-care leader. This may help the reader examining his/her own role and reflecting on what matters most in the field of Lean leadership.
Department of Anaesthesiology & Operative Care, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Kjeld Harald
KH
Aij
Merel
M
Visse
Guy A M
GA
Widdershoven
D000046:Academic Medical Centers / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007857:Leadership; D009426:Netherlands; D011209:Power, Psychological; D000078329:Workforce; D017132:Workplace
Health leadership competencies; Hospitals; Learning; Management; Transformational leadership