CHANGE MANAGEMENT BY MALAYSIAN PUBLIC SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS IN LEAN IMPLEMENTATION

Abstract

The Malaysian government stressed on the public service transformation, which requires the mind set change of all civil servants to provide high- performance services beyond the expectations of customers. However, the weaknesses that existed in the process and service delivery in Malaysian public services had caused numerous impact to the customers. Lean Management is believed to have helped public service organizations in improving their productivity and fulfil the needs of the public. Five public service organizations in Malaysia that had received recognition in practicing lean management from Malaysia Productivity Corporation were chosen as the case samples. The objective of the study was to investigate on how Malaysian public service organizations managed the transition into Lean management implementation. The study was a qualitative research using case study method. The methods of data collection used were interviews and document reviews. The data were analysed using Atlas. ti software. From the data analysis, three important elements in managing change were identified, which are training, monitoring and motivation. The study also revealed the process or the steps taken in lean implementation. The result from the study can benefit many other public service organizations that are interested to implement lean. It is hoped that they can focus on the change management aspects that has been identified and refer to the steps taken by the case organizations in order to successfully change into lean and ensure a continuous lean service implementation in their operations.