Lean as Mean: When Values Converge to Produce Depersonalized Bullying

Concurring with the view that the workplace bullying literature would benefit by shifting part of its focus from the interpersonal aspects of the pathologized individual to the depersonalised aspects of the pathologized organization, this conceptual paper makes an attempt to identify the antecedents of depersonalized bullying. Since organizational values tend to drive organizational behavior, we link organizational bullying to the values embraced by organizations. We limit the scope of our analysis to the lean automotive manufacturing industry. Drawing from the extant organizational values literature, we argue that that in the lean context, depersonalized bullying is a consequence of lean manufacturing practices being implemented in a manner that coerces all other legitimate value forms prevalent in the organization to converge with the espoused organizational values. Such value convergence stifles dissent and, in fact, forces the employees to undermine their own well-being. Our arguments imply that there might be a case for re-examining lean values in the interest of making leaning organizations more humane. (Keywords: depersonalized bullying; lean manufacturing; lean values; pathologized organization; organizational values)