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Lean Thinking and UN Field Operations: A Successful Co-existence?

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Dynamics of Disasters—Key Concepts, Models, Algorithms, and Insights (DOD 2015 2016)

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Abstract

Lean thinking (LT) and supply-chain management (SCM) are recognized in the case of United Nations (UN) field operations (FO) as the organizational change towards the “One-UN” culture of cooperation which is one of the biggest challenges for the UN. Based on the above, this paper aims to identify the SCM and LT principles and best practices of the business world for the humanitarian operations world and the expected benefits of the application of the proposed principles and best practices. The study concludes that LT and SCM are two languages with the different accents that, when put together in cross functional design, can deliver better services to the field (SCM accent) and at a lower cost to member states (lean accent), leading to the conclusion that the “ideal SCM” will be the “Lean SCM” for the UN.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge with gratitude, the University of Liverpool, UK, Faculty of Humanity and Social Sciences that provided the technical inputs to this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Office of Central Support Service, FF Building, Room: 0226, 10017, New York City, NY, USA

    Sulejman Halilagic

  2. Department of Logistics, TEI-KM, Kanellopoulou 2, 60100, Katerini, Greece

    Dimitris Folinas

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  1. Sulejman Halilagic
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  2. Dimitris Folinas
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Correspondence to Dimitris Folinas .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics and Computer Science, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

    Ilias S. Kotsireas

  2. Department of Operations and Information Management, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

    Anna Nagurney

  3. Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA

    Panos M. Pardalos

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Halilagic, S., Folinas, D. (2016). Lean Thinking and UN Field Operations: A Successful Co-existence?. In: Kotsireas, I., Nagurney, A., Pardalos, P. (eds) Dynamics of Disasters—Key Concepts, Models, Algorithms, and Insights. DOD 2015 2016. Springer Proceedings in Mathematics & Statistics, vol 185. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43709-5_5

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