Lost in translation? The role of supervisors in lean production

Lean production is commonly associated with a small number of hierarchical layers – the lean organization is supposedly a flat one. The belief that ‘flatter is better’ appears to have become a truism in many academic and managerial circles. However, several empirical studies point to a completely different conclusion – namely that the prototypical supervisory hierarchy under lean production is characterized by narrow spans of control. This article reviews the empirical literature on the lean supervisors, and based on that, offers a functional analysis of the prototypical supervisory hierarchy. Findings suggest that narrow control spans support core practices of lean production, such as just-in-time, multi-skilling and, particularly, continuous improvement. Managers who implement lean production are discouraged from simultaneously pursuing delayering of the supervisory hierarchy. Alternatively, they need to develop functional equivalents to fulfil ‘supervisory’ functions.