Can Lean values contribute to Sustainable Development

Purpose – The aim of this paper was to study interactions between Sustainable Development and Lean values by comparing two organizations, one with Technical Communication in-house and one with Technical Communication partly outsourced. Methodology/approach – A literature study with focus on Lean and Sustainable Development values was carried out. Interviews with companies that provide Technical Communication have been conducted to identify Lean categories. The identified categories have been compared to the findings in Lean and Sustainable Development values. Findings – The literature study and our results indicate that presence of Lean values support Sustainable Development, but it requires that organizations focus on the culture and values. The result indicates that if Technical Communication has a low status the company put low value on Sustainable Development. If Technical Communication is produced in-house customer involvement might be easier to achieve. Practical implications – The identification of Lean values can be a starting point for organizations to work with Sustainable Development as it helps the organizations to focus on significant areas. Paper type – Case studyKATI, Kundanpassade teknikinformatio