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Purpose This study aims to clarify the conceptual evolution from Lean 4.0 to Lean 5.0 by emphasizing qualitative shifts toward human-centric practices, sustainability integration and organizational resilience. Design/methodology/approach A PRISMA-inspired systematic literature review was conducted, followed by conceptual synthesis of Lean 4.0 maturity dimensions and associated key performance indicators (KPIs), culminating in the proposal of Lean 5.0 KPIs and a mathematical readiness index. Findings Existing Lean 4.0 models mainly emphasize technological efficiency, while human well-being, sustainability and resilience remain insufficiently considered. The study proposes a consolidated cumulative Lean 4.0 maturity roadmap, a comprehensive KPIs structure for both paradigms and a theory-based Lean 5.0 Readiness Index. Research limitations/implications This study is conceptual in nature and does not include empirical validation. Future research is therefore required to validate and refine the proposed framework through case studies and quantitative investigations. Practical implications The framework can enable organizations to diagnose maturity levels and gaps, quantify readiness and structure improvement priorities for evolving from digitally enabled Lean practices toward a revolutionary Lean 5.0 paradigm. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper presents one of the first structured frameworks to assess organizational readiness for transitioning from Lean 4.0 to Lean 5.0, operationalized through KPIs and a weighted readiness index.
Benjelloun et al. (Wed,) studied this question.