Lean implementation in different countries: A literature review

From the second half of the last century the Lean Thinking has spread all over the world. Companies have adopted this philosophy and have dropped it in the activities of the several functions creating specific lean practices. Literature recognizes Lean as an integrated system composed of different elements, identifies a lot of practices and tools, but there is a lack of standard Lean implementation process/framework and a comprehensive analysis of the influence of the implementation context (people, duties, logistics, etc.). This paper examines the existing literature about Lean implementation in different countries, focalising on how Lean is operationalised. The aim is to identify if there are differences in the application of Lean according to the different geographical contexts. The methodology applied consists on a review of international peer-reviewed journals and conference paper published from 2000, to identify what authors wrote about lean implementation, in different countries. The research classifies the articles according to the lean practices and the geographical belonging of authors. This research displays that the existing literature classifies different declinations of lean but does not present any contributions that explicitly suggests the analysis of characteristics of the place (people, duties, logistics, etc.) as a preliminary activity for the implementation of lean. The research show also a lack of standard framework for lean implementation. Although literature does not consider the relationship between enabling factors and territory, geopolitical conditions affect this factors and as consequence the lean implementation. This paper is the first literature review focalized on lean operationalization in different countries with regard to different practices.