Synergizing an ecosphere of lean for sustainable operations

The concept of lean is important to sustain operations management. Workers are treated as important assets in lean. In this study, a 'lean-ecosphere' management system is developed for a manufacturing company by using interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and analytical network process (ANP). In the first phase of the methodology, a unified index to set a common objective of people is developed for horizontal integration. In the second phase, a hierarchical relationship model is developed to identify relationships between challenges of lean. This model facilitates the building of a strong foundation of lean to promote the depth of human integration. In the end, the results achieved are compared with the current situation of the company. The results indicated that the scientific methodology for lean management system is very beneficial for the company. This paper adds knowledge to the operations management literature by addressing the human resource factor to create a sustainable operation. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.