個案資料

In 2015, the lean transformation of the University of Chicago Medicine medical centre encompassed substantial renovation of its internal supply chain. This included moving from a centralized warehouse-based system managed largely by clinical teams to a lean, decentralized, just-in-time system managed by supply chain professionals. In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought new challenges to the University of Chicago Medicine’s supply chain. Accommodating for the COVID-19 pandemic required making numerous changes to the physical supply chain, which could potentially affect actions and decisions at the level of operations on the hospital floors. Amid so many changes, how would the supply chain team members on the hospital floor address daily issues while maintaining efforts to improve the system? How would they remain aligned to the hospital’s mission and goals?

This case is appropriate for advanced undergraduate-level courses in operations management, lean production, and supply chain management. It is also suitable for introductory or advanced graduate courses in operations management, lean production, supply chain management, health care operations management, and service operations management. The case offers opportunities for instructors to address a variety of issues pertaining to the lean transformation of supply chains and the efficacy of just-in-time supply chains in times of crisis. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to<ul><li>explain how decisions and actions at low levels of an organization can be tied directly to higher-level goals and the mission of the organization;</li><li>recognize some of the people-problems associated with organizational change and what is necessary to overcome those problems and to sustain changes;</li><li>understand the workings of an internal supply chain and differences between traditional and lean supply chains;</li><li>know the applicability of practices and concepts associated with lean production such as just-in-time, kanban, standard work, visual management, and daily management;</li><li>understand the assumptions underlying the functioning of just-in-time and lean supply chains, the limitations they impose, and what can be done to address those limitations; and</li><li>explain some necessary actions in supply chains to anticipate large-scale crisis situations.</li></ul>

• lean supply chain
• inventory management
• lean production practices
• organizational change
• sustaining organizational improvements
• management leadership
• supply during COVID crisis