Date Available
3-19-2015
Year of Publication
2015
Degree Name
Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSME)
Document Type
Master's Thesis
College
Engineering
Department/School/Program
Mechanical Engineering
First Advisor
Dr. Fazleena Badurdeen
Abstract
Organizational culture can be defined as a set of values and behavior that contribute to the unique social and psychological environment of an organization. It is the major contributing factor in determining the progress of an organization towards the desired objectives. The importance of organizational culture for successful Lean transformation has been emphasized prior research.
Lean implementation is based on continuous improvement, the achievement of which is based on problem solving practices. For sustained continuous improvement, problem solving must be done in a repeatable and disciplined way. However, not many organizations follow a structured approach towards problem solving. Some preliminary research indicates that organizational culture appears to be an important factor that influences the nature of problem solving practices used in an organization.
This research, therefore, is focused towards establishing whether a relationship exists between these two aspects, namely, organizational culture and problem solving practices in relation to an organization’s success with Lean transformation. A comprehensive survey was developed to evaluate these two aspects. The survey was then administered to employees at different organizations, designations, various sectors and geographical regions. The survey results were analyzed to evaluate if an organization’s culture influences the problem solving practices used.
Recommended Citation
Fadnavis, Saket D., "AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION OF POTENTIAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE TRAITS AND PROBLEM SOLVING PRACTICES TO SUPPORT LEAN TRANSFORMATIONS" (2015). Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical Engineering. 53.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/me_etds/53
