Lean manufacturing and operational performance Interrelationships between human-related lean practices Juan Carlos Hernandez-Matias Department of Mechanical Engineering, Polytechnic University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain Jared R. Ocampo Universidad Tecnologica Centroamericana, San Pedro de Sula, Honduras Antonio Hidalgo Department of Business Administration, Polytechnic University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain, and Antonio Vizan Department of Mechanical Engineering, Polytechnic University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain Abstract Purpose – Lean manufacturing (LM) constitutes a consolidated alternative that has been successfully used to increase company effectiveness and performance. However, different studies have shown that many companies that attempt to integrate LM into their manufacturing operations fail in their efforts. Recent studies have shown that soft practices are a key factor for a successful LM implementation. The purpose of this paper is to analyze an in-depth review of the different human-related lean practices (HRLP) referenced in the recent literature and to identify which of them are more relevant to a successful LM implementation. Design/methodology/approach – The findings presented in this paper are based on the results of a study about the situation of LM in Spain carried out with lean production managers and frontline supervisors of 202 Spanish companies with a high percent (74 percent) of international firms with factories in different countries. The implemented methodology uses factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Findings – The results shows statistical evidence of the relationship between management’s HRLP (fostering a lean culture, providing support to lean), employees’ HRLP (employee involvement and employee empowerment) and operational performance (OP) (waste reduction and flexibility). Practical implications – The results have academic and practical relevance for clarifying lean phenomena, helping managers to define a sequence in which a company should implement HRLP to successfully implement LM and increase its OP. Originality/value – This study fills a research gap by exploring the existing causal relationships between a greater number of variables, both dependent and independent in relation to human factors in LM implementations. Keywords Lean manufacturing, Manufacturing performance, Human factors, Critical success factors Paper type Research paper 1. Introduction Lean manufacturing (LM) is a method that levers on a complex system of socio-technical practices to enhance manufacturing performance and create value through waste elimination and continuous improvement of production processes (Shah and Ward, 2003; Dal Pont et al., 2008). The extension of LM to different countries and sectors has shaped this methodology into a model that has become the paradigm of productivity improvement that is associated with industrial excellence worldwide. Under this scenario, the study of the factors that influence the success of a Lean implantation is a relevant topic of study and research. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management Vol. 31 No. 2, 2020 pp. 217-235 © Emerald Publishing Limited 1741-038X DOI 10.1108/JMTM-04-2019-0140 Received 12 April 2019 Revised 24 July 2019 Accepted 29 July 2019 The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: www.emeraldinsight.com/1741-038X.htm 217 LM and operational performance