Algorithm-Use in the Field of Lean Management Principles: State of the Art and Need for Research

Abstract Automated approaches that harness digitalization’s capabilities could provide a solution for companies struggling with the still complicated process of becoming leaner. This literature review analyzes algorithm-like methods developed to introduce lean management methods in companies, to assess or optimize their performance or to modify them for this specific environment, thus providing a comprehensive overview of the current state of research in this field. Our analysis reveals that these algorithms fail to take full advantage of the capabilities of digitalization. We identify need for research, especially in the measurement of performance improvements achieved with the algorithms, the level of automation in the algorithms, and the adherence to lean principles in the algorithm-like methods.