Lean Management and Firms Competitive Advantage
Abstract
This study focused on lean management and firms' competitive advantage in Akwa Ibom State. Two hypotheses and two research questions were developed for the study, using a survey methodology. The population consisted of 59 employees in top management, middle management, and lower management positions at particular manufacturing companies in the state of Akwa Ibom. Utilizing census techniques, data on the total population was gathered. The two hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 level of significance using the Ordinal Regression Tool Analysis. The findings indicated that the Lean Management dimension (employee involvement: 8.298, PV = 0.003; Just-in-Time: 7.246, PV = 0.002) and firms' competitive advantage in Akwa Ibom State were significantly correlated. Just-in-time and employee involvement are relational characteristics that might improve enterprises' competitive advantage and organizational performance in Akwa Ibom State. The study’s management was advised to improve their policies to support manufacturing and operations by figuring out what the customer values, mapping out the value stream the complete sequence of steps necessary to deliver a good or service—and analyzing the value stream to find and get rid of wasteful practices like overproduction, waiting times, needless motion, defects, and excess inventory. To boost overall cost efficiency, it was also advised that manufacturing companies integrate waste elimination into their operational processes.
Author
- Kingsley Lazarus Uwa
Department of Business Administration,
Akwa Ibom State University
Obio Akpa Campus, Oruk Anam
Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria