LEAN IMPLEMENTATION AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFICIENCY: A REVIEW OF LEAN PRACTICES IN HEALTHCARE, BANKING, AND MANUFACTURING SECTORS IN CALIFORNIA, USA

Niche drive in California's healthcare, banking, and manufacturing sectors are affected by contingency situations which creates uncertainty on the relevance of lean strategy for organizational survival and development. This study examines the need for value stream mapping, inventory control, and continuous improvement practices as enablers of organizational efficiency in the sectors. The Theory of Constraint (TOC) affirmed the need to effectively manage constraints to improve profits in the sectors. A qualitative research method was adopted to elicit appropriate information on lean implementation. The outcome of the survey revealed that in the healthcare sector, the success of lean implementation is driven by low cost and lead time, identification of non-value-adding activities, restructuring of business processes, automation reordering and data gathering, digital-based inventory, right leadership, training, and supportive coaching. In the banking sector, the success of lean implementation is driven by organizational structure, self-service banking, cloud technology capability, bank-integrated inventory, real-time inventory monitoring, inventory financing, shift in the mindset of the employee, and employee involvement. In the manufacturing sector, the success of implementation is driven by state-of-the-art technology, identification of inefficiencies, lean manufacturing process, work-in-progress, digital technology, employee empowerment, and transparency. The study concluded that collaborative goal attainment for organizational efficiency required effective management of constraints in materials, finance, and capacity. It recommended that organizational leaders in healthcare should prioritize improvement by adopting different methodologies and techniques to enhance competitive performance capacity. The commitment to lean practice in the banking sector should be to streamline work processes and improve the satisfaction of customers. The leaders in manufacturing industry are recommended to commit to maximizing the availability of resources with efficient use of materials at the right time.加州医疗、银行及制造业的细分利基领域运营受突发状况影响，使得精益战略（Lean Strategy）对于组织生存与发展的适用性产生了不确定性。本研究针对上述三大领域，探讨了价值流图（Value Stream Mapping）、库存控制（Inventory Control）与持续改进（Continuous Improvement）实践作为组织效率赋能路径的必要性。约束理论（Theory of Constraint, TOC）证实，需通过有效管控约束条件以提升三大领域的盈利水平。本研究采用定性研究方法，以获取精益实施相关的有效信息。调研结果显示，医疗领域的精益实施成功与否由以下因素驱动：低成本与交付周期、非增值活动识别、业务流程重构、自动化补货与数据采集、数字化库存管理、适配的领导力、员工培训及支持性辅导。银行业的精益实施成功则由以下因素驱动：组织结构、自助银行服务、云技术能力、银行一体化库存、实时库存监控、库存融资、员工思维模式转变及员工参与。制造业的精益实施成功受以下因素驱动：前沿技术、低效点识别、精益制造流程、在制品（Work-in-Progress）管理、数字技术、员工赋能及信息透明化。本研究得出结论：若要通过协同目标达成提升组织效率，需对物料、资金及产能相关的约束条件进行有效管控。研究建议，医疗领域的组织管理者应优先采用多元方法与技术开展改进工作，以提升其竞争绩效能力；银行业需坚定推行精益实践，以优化业务流程并提升客户满意度；制造业管理者则应致力于在恰当的时机高效利用物料，最大化资源可用率。