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Organizations that include a manufacturing, assembly and/or material processing (MAMP) functions have become increasingly complex, competitive, and dynamic. These organizations demand increased emphasis on recruiting, developing, and retaining management talent to gain a competitive edge. This paper uses a modified Delphi triangulation approach to identify and categorize first‐level MAMP management competencies perceived to be important by three critical stakeholder groups – an expert MAMP upper management panel, first‐level MAMP managers who have been employed between one to three years, and business management faculty members. The results identify 14 knowledge, skill, and value‐based competencies and three higher‐order factors as essential components within the MAMP management function. There was considerable consistency in the perceptions of the three groups in evaluating the importance of these competencies, with the exception that first‐level managers placed greater importance on technical skills for daily MAMP activities than upper management.

The purpose of this paper is to present a case of integration between the processes modeling by using the Value Stream Mapping (VSM) and the Thinking Process of the Theory of Constraints (TP-TOC) through the analysis of productive processes of an organization, indicating the complementary aspects between them and their benefits to the organization.

The paper uses a company of the Brazilian automotive industry as the administering site. The research began by identifying the organization's processes and choice of a family of products to model according to the VSM approach. The integrated view between the losses in the process (VSM) and the unwanted effects of the adding value process were analyzed by using the Current Reality Tree. After the analysis, different improvement procedures are proposed based on the lean principles. Finally, a work plan is presented based on the previous steps aiming to achieve the proposed future state.

The analysis of this case helps to understand and identify the causes of the current problems in the processes studied, providing an integrated view between the losses in the process and the prioritization of steps for the elimination of such losses. The approach in its initial administration was robust and the solution steps were promising. By integrating these approaches, it was possible to verify improvement opportunities by identifying the losses and the basic causes that sustain the unwanted effects in the processes at the same time.

The study proposes an approach that enables a systematic and systemic analysis of the processes at organizations through the combined use of process modeling through the VSM and TP-TOC. Simultaneously, the losses in the processes and the unwanted effects are identified. Thus, through the construction of an effect-cause-effect robust logic, both losses in particular and the unwanted effects in general can be prioritized in order to maximize the improvement efforts in the processes.

Entrepreneurial innovation has been the most important source for improvement in firm performance. Innovation in family firms has become the focal issue in firm strategy. In today’s high-velocity environment, the dynamic organizational adaptation is essential for sustainable competitive advantage. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the nature of changes in external environment and the relationship between changes in the economic environment and family firms’ innovation in response to the environmental shift.

The authors designed a survey questionnaire to obtain primary data for the study. The survey consists of family firm structure, innovation drivers, governance, core competence and performance. Authors applied a random stratified sample method in selecting samples to reflect the population in family firms.

The study identified market conditions, technology and regulation as innovation drivers. The authors found that these innovation drivers have positive effects on family firm performance, although the technology variable is the only statistically significant variable at the conventional statistical significance level.

The authors expected to have better response rate, and wish to have more observations. The authors would have stronger results if you could get more data.

Family firms need to respond to the high velocity of environment and to develop capabilities that understand the nature of changes in economic environment and take effective steps. The study findings offer guidelines for the managers of how to manage the firms in the dynamic environment.

Family firms should use this results to develop strategies to deal with various economics situations.

The study identifies innovation drivers in family firms. The study contributes to finding and empirical testing of family firm innovation drivers. Findings of the study are valuable for managing the high velocity of today’s economic environment: changes in markets, technologies and regulations.