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The main purpose of this paper was to introduce procedural changes based on a type of human resources management tool using Lean Leadership (LL). We sought to determine which Lean Tools (LTs) are able to promote a rapid impact on a company; namely, we aimed to determine which LTs are able to facilitate fast and positive results for companies after their implementation, thus allowing for quick wins. This study was conducted at a medium-sized Portuguese company in the metalworking sector. Results were assessed from two surveys (involving 17 people) regarding perceptions of employee awareness in the machining area for Quality, Maintenance/Equipment, Process/Products, Leadership/Management by Objectives, and Trust and Training. The surveys were conducted at the beginning of the study and at the end of a quarterly period. LTs were used over a period of three months, thus enabling changes to the company’s manufacturing processes which could lead to improved organization, orientation, consistency and viability. Three months were considered an adequate time period to measure whether the tools were effective in the production of quick wins or not. LL allowed for greater awareness of the importance of LTs, the most important feature of which is the aggregation of all of the employees’ energies, which culminates in better operational efficiency and an increase in the employees’ overall positive perceptions of their company’s principles and mindset. The introduction of LL, as well as the implementation of 10 LTs, which are considered to be Quick-Win Tools, enabled employees to improve their perceptions of their company by 6.1%. Lean tools can be implemented quickly and are easily understood by their intended users. These benefits provide additional motivation for their use and for the achievement of highly satisfactory operating results across production areas. This study aims to identify which lean tools allow companies to obtain benefits/gains quickly. This outcome is the main contribution of this study to the scientific community and to companies. A Quick Win means a rapid improvement in a short period of time. As such, lean tools that provide Quick Wins also contribute to economic development. Due to the restricted time period imposed by the main purpose of this study, statistical analysis of the results was unfeasible. Full article

The manuscript presents the possibilities of using selected Lean Management tools at a fast food restaurant located at the international airport terminal in Poland. Observations in other points of the company lasting for five years, made possible fair proposals for improvement of selected elements of production and work organization. The research part presents the results of application of such tools as value stream mapping (VSM), Kaizen, and 5S. The Lean Management method, chosen after careful analysis of the work system in the facility, contributed to the increase of work efficiency. Production times were shortened. Additionally, the possibility of reducing energy consumption, and thus the reduction of CO₂ emissions associated with production, achieved without interfering with product quality was demonstrated. The timetable for device work was proposed. It was selected based on the analysis of the daily number of transactions compared with energy consumption. It should be emphasized that properly selected Lean tools allow for practical increase of work efficiency, reduction of production cycle times, and a decrease of energy consumption, which, in turn, leads to the decrease of CO₂ emissions. It is demonstrated that, concerning the large number of enterprises of that type, introducing appropriate changes in work organization is able to facilitate large changes in emissions on a global scale. The presented solutions were tested in practice, however, due to the nature of the place, it should be considered individually. Full article