Executives’ Attitudes toward Lean Management at the National University Hospital of Iceland
Eydís Ýr Rosenkjær, Eðvald Möller, Vigdís Hallgrímsdóttir

Abstract
According to the definition, the term ‘lean management’ involves increasing value for a client at minimum cost. In order to reach that goal, companies and institutions must realize that the flow of the products and/or service needs to be increased throughout the whole value chain. All waste taking place during the procedure must be prevented, from the beginning to the end, as it is not enough to eliminate it only in isolated areas. It is, therefore, important to create processes that require less labor, space, money, are less likely to cause mistakes or flaws, and require less time when handling and dealing with products and/or services. The application of lean management is a different approach to labor efficiency, involving a diverse and lean journey towards improved operations, and is thus not solely a process. Lean management can be applied to any form of activity, and after implementing the methodology, new and goal-oriented work begins. The objective of this study is to examine the attitudes of Landspítali executives toward Lean management. In order to shed better light on this topic, answers were sought to the following research questions:  Are Landspítali executives familiar with Lean management methodology?  Do Landspítali executives feel that they have received adequate instruction and training in Lean management methodology?  Are Landspítali executives of the opinion that the implementation of Lean management methodology is yielding results?

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