Lean Innovation in Healthcare. Principles, Theories and Case Studies

This work, which is the result of a three years research activity, aims to analyze the spread of “Lean Management Model” in the general context of the production and health, through in-depth study of the literature, the presentation of case studies of excellence and an empirical investigation.It shows how the performance and the intended benefits result from a dynamic interaction of many actors within a context of complex networks.Through a series of principles and tools, it seeks to create a holistic system of trust relationships between individuals (Lean Organization) and groups (Lean Network), focusing on the needs and expectations of the patient. The ability to identify and eliminate waste inherent in work processes, (for creating value in terms of health and satisfaction of customer, internal and external), is the ethical, strategic and operational dimension of the Lean Model. Under this perspective of analysis, the Lean approach has been called "disruptive innovation", an innovative way of management, directed to significantly contribute to the development of new models. Therefore it requires a separate strategy process before actually implement the final process of integration.Finally, through an empirical study conducted on a select group of healthcare organizations, it was intended to prove the need for developing these skills of interaction, promoting the transfer of lean best practices in other organizations.