Impact of lean manufacturing practices on employee job satisfaction in apparel industry

Abstract

Apparel manufacturers all over the world are pressed to deliver high quality garments at low costs in shorter lead times. Most of the apparel manufacturers started following lean manufacturing concept due to its benefits and competitive advantage. Lean Manufacturing Practices (LMPs) are implemented through employees in the organization and it is essential to find out employee job satisfaction in a lean manufacturing environment. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to get necessary lean information. The objectives of the study are to identify the impact of LMPs on employee satisfaction in apparel industry and identify the most vital factors that affect the job satisfaction of the employee with the involvement of LMPs. Five dimensions of LMPs constructed include 6S, Empowerment, Kaizen, PDCA Methodology and Teamwork. This research focuses on empirically testing the framework under study. Data was collected from a randomly selected five lean implemented manufacturing organizations in apparel sector through a questionnaire. 125 completed responses were considered for the data analysis. The formal statistical analysis including frequency distribution of variables, validity and reliabilify analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, one-sample t-test and factor analysis, were carried out. The major findings of the research on LMPs directly affect the employee job satisfaction with a positive impact. Based on the statistical result, LMPs; 6S, Empowerment, Kaizen, PDCA Methodology and Teamwork help to increase the employee job satisfaction after the implementation of Lean Manufacturing. Among all five LMPs, Kaizen is the most vital factor that employee feels which has positively affected to the employee job satisfaction. Hence, an environment where mutual respect and positive recognition are fostered will help to increase job satisfaction