The success of Operational Excellence (OPEX) initiatives remains inconsistent, often due to the limited integration of organizational culture and leadership with-in improvement efforts. This article aims to develop and structure a framework that explains how organizational culture and leadership behaviours jointly influence OPEX results, addressing the lack of operational clarity in existing approaches. The research adopts a qualitative methodology based on a structured literature review, complemented by the development of a conceptual model that synthesises key contributions from Operational Excellence and organizational culture domains. The resulting framework establishes explicit linkages between cultural dimensions and the leadership behaviours required to embed and sustain them, connecting these elements directly to OPEX performance outcomes. The findings highlight that the effectiveness of OPEX is strongly dependent on the alignment between organizational culture and leadership practices. Leadership behaviours act as the primary mechanism through which cultural attributes are translated into consistent operational results, while misalignment between these elements constitutes a critical barrier to sustainability. From a practical perspective, the framework provides organizations with a structured approach to diagnose cultural gaps, align leadership behaviours, and support the implementation of OPEX beyond tool-based initiatives. This article goes beyond the abstract treatment of culture in OPEX literature, offering an integrated and operationalizable framework that clarifies the interplay between culture, leadership, and performance, thereby supporting more effective and sustainable excellence transformations.

Keywords

Leadership, Organizational Culture, Operational Excellence, Lean Management, Shingo Model.