When you think of engineering, German engineering in particular comes to mind, while it is extremely uncommon to think of Africa. This is the opinion of Mia Mangaroo-Pillay, an industrial engineer and lecturer at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) School of Industrial Engineering.

Through her PhD thesis titled “A Lean implementation framework encompassing South African Ubuntu”, Mia’s goal is to showcase the value of indigenous African knowledge in the engineering sphere so that when people think of engineering, they think of Africa”. (The basic idea of “Lean” is to maximise productivity and customer value while minimising waste.)

Mia is completing her PhD in industrial engineering with the NWU and her study intends to design a Lean implementation framework that is customised to South African culture.

“My study aims to incorporate Ubuntu management principles into a Lean implementation framework,” she says.

Her study focuses on Lean philosophy, which is a continuous improvement philosophy for businesses. While Lean has its origins in the car manufacturing industry, it has since expanded into other industries and is associated with the improvement of an organisation, eradication of waste, and an increase in profits.

Lean may have become a global phenomenon, says Mia, but it has suffered a low successful implementation rate which some attribute to a misunderstanding of the philosophy. “However, it is widely known that Lean is not just a toolkit for business, but rather a cultural change that an organisation should make.”

For successful implementation, buy-in and commitment are required from all levels within the organisation. Mia says research suggests there is a need for local adaptations of Lean for successful implementation.

“But, with South Africa being a rich melting pot of diversity, it is hard to say we have ‘one culture’. However, Ubuntu is the one cultural phenomenon that all South Africans understand. It is a part of us and how we live as a nation and is akin to our national culture,” she says.

“My study aims to The research suggests that incorporating Ubuntu management principles into a Lean implementation framework will bridge the gap in understanding Lean.”

With this framework, Mia says South African organisations will be able to implement Lean with better buy-in from employees.

“I believe that this research also gives us the platform to showcase that indigenous African knowledge has a part to play in, and can make a valuable contribution to the field of engineering.”

Mia Mangaroo-Pillay