ICT and Lean Management: Will They Ever Get Along?

In companies, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) accelerate the speed with which information is exchanged between employees, facilitate the processing of data and improve the quality of intra-company communication. As such, ICTs are powerful management support tools and can help to boost firms' performance. However, there is no consensus as to the way in which they should be used. The aim of this article is to contribute to the discussion on the various ways that ICTs are used in companies. Its empirical analysis is based on observations of the paradoxical practices and reasoning that dominate the lean manufacturing approach. Although the lean manufacturing approach considers that ICTs are useful to a degree for carrying out certain tasks, it emphasises the inefficiencies that can result from an inappropriate use of these technologies.