The Mean Lean Machine: Interpretation of Lean in a Public Sector Organisation

Kjærsgaard, Sara ; Ose, Agate ; Rasmussen, Signe Juul

4. term

Culture, Communication and Globalization, Master

2018

2018-05-31

126

Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan ledelsesidéer bliver forstået og brugt, når de flyttes ind i den offentlige sektor. Lean – en metode fra industrien, der skal reducere spild og forbedre arbejdsgange – bruges som eksempel i en kommunal dagtilbudsforvaltning for at vise, hvordan konteksten påvirker tolkningen af nye begreber. For at belyse dette anvendes modellen om de tre lag af lean af Arlbjørn, Freytag og de Haas (2011) til at se på forskellige niveauer i implementeringen, samt Callons (1986) oversættelsesteori til at forstå, hvordan idéer bliver tolket og introduceret i organisationen. Supplerende materiale om organisationens forhold bruges til at præcisere den konkrete kontekst. Studiet er et enkelt casestudie af en kommunal dagtilbudsadministration. Data blev indsamlet gennem et kvalitativt interview og to fokusgrupper med deltagere fra forskellige niveauer i hierarkiet. Resultaterne viser, at den offentlige sektor påvirker tolkningen af nye koncepter som lean på flere måder: Politiske dagsordener ændrer sig, når de videregives ned gennem hierarkiet; der er en oplevelse af hastværk i det offentlige system, som gør, at organisationer vælger styringstiltag ud fra deres umiddelbare tiltrækningskraft; og forandringer behandles ofte som kortsigtede projekter. Specialet kan inspirere andre offentlige organisationer til at overveje kontekstens betydning, når de indfører nye tiltag og strategier, særligt i lignende danske sammenhænge. Bidraget ligger i at forklare hvordan konteksten former lean i praksis og i at undersøge lean i en dagtilbudsforvaltning, et område der hidtil har været lidt belyst.

This thesis examines how management ideas are understood and applied when they are brought into public-sector settings. Lean—a method from manufacturing aimed at reducing waste and improving processes—is used as an example in a municipal daycare administration to show how context shapes the interpretation of new concepts. To explore this, the study applies the three-layer lean model by Arlbjørn, Freytag, and de Haas (2011) to look at different levels of implementation, and Callon’s (1986) translation theory to explain how ideas are interpreted and introduced in the organization. Additional contextual material clarifies the specific setting of the case. The research uses a single case study of a municipal daycare administration. Data were collected through one qualitative interview and two focus groups with participants from different levels of the organizational hierarchy. Findings indicate that the public-sector context influences how new concepts such as lean are interpreted in several ways: political agendas change as they move down the hierarchy; a prevailing sense of urgency in government encourages organizations to select management approaches based on their immediate appeal; and changes are often approached as short-term projects. The study can inspire other public-sector organizations to consider context when introducing new initiatives and strategies, especially in similar Danish settings. Its contribution lies in explaining how context shapes lean in practice and in examining lean within a daycare administration, a setting that has been little studied.

[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]

Lean ; public sector ; management strategies ; interpretation ; concept translation

Download
View record in AAU Student Projects