Effects of implementing lean management on psychosocial working conditions and employee health in a healthcare setting

Lean management (LM) has become a popular management approach to increase efficiency and quality in health care. The proposed research project aims to 1) evaluate the impact of implementing LM under consideration of employees’ health in a healthcare setting on employees’ working conditions, employees’ health, and lean work processes and 2) to identify factors predicting a positive impact on each of these three outcomes.

The project builds on the comprehensive evaluation of a lean implementation project within 29 nursing wards of a Swiss university hospital (University Hospital Zurich [USZ]). During one session of the four-day lean workshops in each nursing ward, the employees’ health perspective was introduced based on a survey-feedback method, leading to ward-specific action plans to improve working conditions and health. The study applies a wait list control group design with 16 intervention and 13 control wards. Results will guide other hospitals to adapt and implement lean management in a way that not only optimizes productivity but also employees’ working conditions and health.

• Lehmann, A. I., Bauer, G. F., & Brauchli, R. (2022). Intervention effects for direct and indirect participants in an organisational health intervention: A mixed-methods study. Work & Stress, 1-25.https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2022.2080774
   
• Lehmann, A. I., Brauchli, R., Jenny, G. J., Füllemann, D., & Bauer, G. F. (2020). Baseline psychosocial and affective context characteristics predict outcome expectancy as a process appraisal of an organizational health intervention. International Journal of Stress Management, 27(1), 1.  https://doi.org/10.1037/str0000119
   
• Lehmann, A. I., Brauchli, R., & Bauer, G. F. (2019). Goal pursuit in organizational health interventions: the role of team climate, outcome expectancy, and implementation intentions. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 154. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00154
   
• Füllemann, D., Fridrich, A., Jenny, G. J., Brauchli, R., Inauen, A., & Bauer, G. F. (2016). The relevance of intervention participants’ process appraisal for change in well-being and lean work processes of entire teams. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOEPP-02-2016-0006
   
• Inauen, A., Rettke, H., Fridrich, A., Spirig, R., & Bauer, G. F. (2016). Erfolgskritische Faktoren bei der Optimierung des Skill-Grade-Mix auf der Basis von Lean Management-Prinzipien: Eine qualitative Teilstudie. Pflege, 30(1), 29-38. https://doi.org/10.1024/1012-5302/a000511

Konferenzbeiträge

• Lehmann, A. I. (2019, September): Intervention effects for direct and indirect participants in an organizational health intervention implemented in healthcare: A mixed-methods study.  Präsentation an der 6. International Conference on Salutogenesis Girona, 17.06-18.06.2021.
• Lehmann, A. I. (2019, September): Intervention effects for direct and indirect participants in an organizational health intervention implemented in healthcare: A mixed-methods study. Präsentation an der EAWOP (European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology) Turin, 29.05- 01.06.2019.