Purpose - The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of
internal lean practices on multiple operational performance dimensions,
and assess the contingency perspective of these relationships with
respect to industry clockspeed. Design/methodology/approach - The study
is based on empirical data gathered from 228 manufacturing companies in
the Republic of Ireland. The relationships between the constructs are
analyzed through regression analysis. Findings - The results indicate
that the relationships between internal lean practices and quality,
delivery, flexibility and cost were found to be positive and
significant. Further, industry clockspeed was found to moderate the
relationship between internal lean practices and quality, delivery and
flexibility, but not cost. Practical implications - While internal lean
practices can improve operational performance, managers should be aware
that internal lean practices are not universally applicable, and the
rate of change within an industry should be considered at the time of
implementing lean principles. Originality/value - Much of the lean
literature tends to be biased towards its effectiveness. However,
empirical evidence shows that not all lean implementation have led to
positive results, which has been attributed to the general complexity in
the relationship between internal lean practices and performance. We
propose to investigate further this relationship by disaggregating
operational performance into four of its dimensions, namely quality,
delivery, flexibility and cost, and by investigating the possible
contingency effect of industry clockspeed.