Lean Management as a Strategic Lever for the Mitigation of Operational Risks in Industrial Organizations.

Abstract

This article examines how Lean Management acts as a strategic lever for reducing operational risks in industrial organizations. In response to process instability, quality defects, and global competitive pressures, the study aims to analyze and model the mechanisms through which Lean practices, combined with process stability, standardization, socio-technical alignment, and ISO 31000 risk management principles, enable industrial firms to control operational vulnerabilities and strengthen organizational resilience.

Drawing on the Resource-Based View, socio-technical systems theory, and the ISO 31000 framework, an integrated conceptual model is proposed. A hypothetico-deductive approach was adopted, using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Data were collected from 250 Moroccan industrial firms, primarily from the exporting textile sector, using a structured questionnaire with five-point Likert scales anchored in validated instruments.

Lean practices significantly reduce process variability and strengthen process stability (β = 0.58; p < 0.001), which plays a key mediating role in decreasing operational risks (indirect effect: β = −0.36; p < 0.001). Standardization (β = −0.25) and ISO 31000 integration (β = −0.18) also contribute significantly. The model explains 60% of the variance in operational risk (R² = 0.60).

This study provides an original integrative model bridging Lean Management and Risk Management, offering both theoretical advances and actionable managerial insights for industrial organizations.