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Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate and analyze the early stages of implementing a lean-type production system in a large Swedish manufacturing company.

Design/methodology/approach: The paper is based on an interview study, comprising interviews with 20 representatives from all organizational levels within the studied company. The roles of the interviewees are: Managing Director, Division Manager, Production Manager, Production Unit Manager, Production Supervisors (2 people), Production Engineers (3 people), Operators (10 people), Lean Coordinator, Quality Management Expert. The interviews are analyzed from an Actor-network perspective, using the concept of translation as a key component.

Findings: The company has not achieved the results they were hoping for. In certain areas, focus of the initial ideas has shifted in unforeseen directions. The analysis indicates that this is a result of the individual actors’ translation of the ideas concerning the new production concept (lean production) so that it is in line with their own frame of reference. On account of the actors’ positive inclination towards the lean production concept, ideas concerning organizational inertia and resistance to change do not seem to be applicable in this case. One key feature in this paper is that a high delegation of authority–which is common in Swedish organizations–gives the translation process extra energy. Another key finding is that the tendency to rely too much on the actions of individuals, instead of aiming for collective action based on a common understanding, creates greater room for translation to take place, thus increasing the risk of …