Introduction:

This research work looks at Lean Manufacturing and Corporate Social Responsibility. Both concepts have been studied widely in an independent perspective; however this research aims to research both jointly. Lean Manufacturing is well known as a methodology used in the manufacturing engineering focused on developing improvement methods for organizations. On the other hand, Corporate Social Responsibility focuses on developing welfare on society through the conscious use of resources. Since both Lean Manufacturing and Corporate Social Responsibility can be implemented in the same organization, a question arises on how complementary or counterpoised both programs can be.

Method:

Research case studies are used in a garment manufacturing organization of small size, under the positivist perspective of Yin (2009). Five units of analysis are clustered among the organization members: Management, Manufacturing Workers, Suppliers, Sales, Lean manufacturing & Corporate Social Responsibility implementation team.

Results:

The analysis of the information gathered from the fieldwork suggests that Lean Manufacturing and Corporate Social Responsibility are both tools used in organizations that converge in the rational usage of human activities. The findings drown from the analysis of cases point out that both tools aim for the responsible and rational use of resources in organizations.

Conclusion:

The joint research of both disciplines concludes that the two concepts aim for the development of human activities rationally looking for the social and economic wellbeing. This conclusion coins the roots for understanding that Lean Manufacturing and Corporate Social Responsibility are tools for developing sustainability in organizations. Sustainable organizations are able to endure in terms of ecology, economics, politics and culture.

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