Factors That Impact the Dynamics and Effectiveness of Work Teams during the Implementation of Continuous Improvement Tools in the Manufacturing Industry: A Systematic Literature Review

Currently, because of global competition, companies within the manufacturing industry must implement new organizational and production techniques to compete and stay active. The use of continuous improvement tools has become an opportunity and an effective strategy to achieve this. However, there is evidence that many continuous improvement programs are not successfully implemented due to a lack of information related to human management during the implementation of these projects in the manufacturing industry. In this context, the objective of this research is to identify factors influencing the dynamics and effectiveness of work teams for the implementation and development of continuous improvement tools in the manufacturing industry. A literature review was conducted using the PRISMA method, considering scientific articles related to the main factors that affect the dynamics and effectiveness of work teams in relation to the implementation of continuous improvement tools. From the review and evaluation of the studies, 60 factors were identified that affect the effectiveness of work teams in relation to continuous improvement within the manufacturing industry. Subsequently, a Pareto analysis was conducted on the critical success factors based on the number of occurrences in the analyzed literature, identifying 32 critical success factors considered vital for the implementation of continuous improvement projects. It is concluded that the factors arise from two common elements, the involvement of senior management and the company’s own culture. Therefore, to ensure the effectiveness of work teams and their continuous improvement projects, management must focus attention on this cultural change mainly by providing the necessary resources for the development of the project, establishing an adequate and effective reward system, and, most importantly, directing efforts towards staff empowerment.