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The purpose of this study is to examine how a focal firm’s supply relationships influence lean supply chain management (LSCM) implementation and its impact on operational performance.

An empirical study of 285 Spanish focal firms has explored the relationships between supply uncertainty, strategic supplier performance, LSCM implementation and operational performance. A structural equation model was used to test four hypotheses.

The results indicate that supply uncertainty and strategic supplier performance significantly impact the decision to implement LSCM. The findings highlight the importance of strategic supplier performance for driving LSCM adoption. However, this study also suggests that LSCM implementation should be carefully considered in situations characterized by high supply uncertainty.

This study suggests that enhancing LSCM implementation and improving performance from key suppliers are crucial factors in achieving favorable operational performance in focal firms. Practitioners receive guidance on aligning their supply relationships, considering contextual factors and leveraging strategic supplier performance to drive effective LSCM implementation.

This study offers novel insights by examining the antecedents to LSCM implementation from a contingency and relational perspective specifically focused on the context of supply relationships. This research contributes to the existing body of knowledge on supply chain management by shedding light on the interplay between supply uncertainty, strategic supplier performance, LSCM implementation and operational performance.

This study aims to analyze the lean supply chain management (LSCM) strategy's role as a mechanism to address technology uncertainty and provide organizations with competitive advantage.

An empirical study was conducted of 276 Spanish focal firms in industrial sectors that occupy an intermediate position in the supply chain to investigate the influence of technology uncertainty on LSCM implementation and the latter's effect on operational performance and competitiveness. A covariance-based structural equation model (CB-SEM) was used to test three hypotheses.

Technological uncertainty encourages progress in the implementation of lean throughout the supply chain and so is a mechanism that not only brings stability to the focal company but also improves its performance and puts it in a better competitive position.

Managers are suggested to consider the strategic integration with supply chain partners and the establishment of long-term relationships based on trust and commitment advocated by LSCM to enhance organizations' capabilities and effectively and flexibly respond to technological changes.

This study focuses on the effects of environmental uncertainty on the supply chain. The past literature has focused on the behavior of individual firms to deal with uncertainty, but this work shifts the level of analysis to the supply chain. Therefore, the strategic change to deal with what is happening in the environment is now switched to the supply chain level.

The purpose of this paper is to systematically identify the key intellectual developments of the lean supply chain management (LSCM) field from its very first beginning by analyzing the publications that have been highly cited.

The citation classics method has been used to examine the origins and evolution of the research field. In total, 74 articles have been identified as having the highest impact on LSCM research published from its beginnings to the present day. Key aspects and links among the scientific contributions are studied by descriptive, bibliometric, network and content analysis.

Publication and citation trends, methodologies used, top journals, most influential authors, institutions and countries, collaboration patterns and evolution of the most used keywords are some of the aspects studied. Three main research areas are identified: LSCM foundations and implementation, lean-agile supply chain and performance assessment and the role of sustainability, which offers a holistic view of the field and enables the identification of potential avenues for future research susceptible to contribute to advancing the knowledge on LSCM.

This study provides a useful insight into the development of the LSCM field and can help researchers as it explores the state-of-the-art of LSCM by identifying the most relevant contributions in the area, the main research lines addressed by the scientific community in this topic and opportunities for further research on LSCM for years to come.