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Article
Publication date: 8 May 2023

Richard Wilson, Elizabeth A. Cudney and Robert J. Marley

The purpose of this research is to provide an introduction into Hoshin Kanri and how it has been used with other methodologies and frameworks. Additionally, factors that impact…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to provide an introduction into Hoshin Kanri and how it has been used with other methodologies and frameworks. Additionally, factors that impact successful Hoshin Kanri implementation and future research opportunities are explored.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review was conducted to determine the methodologies and frameworks that have previously been explored and identify factors that lead to successful Hoshin Kanri implementation as it relates in the Western world.

Findings

Even though Hoshin Kanri has been used to a limited extent for decades in the West, there is still relatively little published research on the topic. In the period reviewed most published research was performed in the UK or USA. In addition, most years had less than two publications (the exception being five in 2020).

Research limitations/implications

This literature review was primarily focused on the manufacturing sector, publications from 1990–2021, and available in English.

Practical implications

Current practitioners may use the research in this review to improve their current Hoshin Kanri practices using the techniques mentioned as a means of continuous improvement or to build a new framework for their own needs.

Originality/value

This paper makes an important contribution to the study of Hoshin Kanri as it provides: (1) an updated literature review regarding the study and application of Hoshin Kanri, (2) a qualitative analysis of alternative methodologies and frameworks to traditional Hoshin Kanri and (3) success factors when considering implementation of Hoshin Kanri within an organization and researchers with potential ideas for future research.

Details

The TQM Journal, vol. 36 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2731

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 May 2008

Barry J. Witcher, Vinh Sum Chau and Paul Harding

The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of top executive audits (TEAs) as part of hoshin kanri (policy management) at Nissan South Africa (NSA). It relates these to the…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of top executive audits (TEAs) as part of hoshin kanri (policy management) at Nissan South Africa (NSA). It relates these to the emerging importance of core competencies in the resource‐based view of strategy to discuss “nested” sets of dynamic capabilities and superior performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The case study of NSA is considered in terms of how the firm defines its core areas, evaluates its business methodologies and management philosophies, and conducts its diagnosis of management. This was through real time internal company observation during an intensive phase of organizational change and documentation supplied by a senior manager.

Findings

The style of TEAs at Nissan is related to the concepts of “core competency” and “dynamic capability.” The core business areas of NSA are organization‐wide competencies necessary for competitive success, and the management of these is shown to be most effective in the form of a TEA, which in the hoshin kanri form, is arguably a nested set of dynamic capabilities.

Originality/value

The paper concludes that hoshin kanri and TEAs are used at Nissan as a higher order dynamic capability to develo0p both core competences in key areas of the business, and core capabilities in terms of its corporate methodologies and business philosophies. The recovery of Nissan during the East Asian Crisis of the late‐1990s was the result of improved productivity practices, such as the uses of hoshin kanri and TEAs, and not just of economic recovery.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 28 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 January 2018

William Giordani da Silveira, Edson Pinheiro de Lima, Fernando Deschamps and Sergio E. Gouvea da Costa

The purpose of this paper is to propose a set of guidelines to be used for diagnosing and (re)designing organizational systems based on Hoshin Kanri – a management framework that…

1321

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a set of guidelines to be used for diagnosing and (re)designing organizational systems based on Hoshin Kanri – a management framework that is recognized for building the link between strategy and business execution.

Design/methodology/approach

A two-step approach was used in this research work. A systematic literature review (SLR) was used to find relevant references related to Hoshin Kanri that could serve as sources for recommendations. After completing the SLR, content analysis was used to define the recommendations and analyze them, deriving a set of guidelines.

Findings

A collection of recurring topics was identified through content analysis. These topics can be interpreted as central aspects for Hoshin Kanri application. Topics were eventually categorized and one guideline was developed for each one of the categories, which resulted in a total of 23 guidelines. Guidelines were grouped in two dimensions (context and process) and also according to their central aspect (organizational culture, capabilities, focus, alignment, integration and review).

Originality/value

Although Hoshin Kanri has been widely applied in Japan and also in large companies over the past 50 years, it is not as widely explored in research papers as other frameworks. Literature often focuses on Hoshin Kanri only as a process and not as an organization-wide holistic system. There are few empirical studies about its conceptual assumptions and practical implications and no systematization of the main aspects that ensure the effective application of Hoshin Kanri in a universal manner.

Details

International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, vol. 67 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0401

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 April 2007

Barry J. Witcher and Vinh Sum Chau

The paper seeks to combine the uses of the balanced scorecard and hoshin kanri as integrative dynamic capabilities for the entire strategic management process. It aims to posit a…

9452

Abstract

Purpose

The paper seeks to combine the uses of the balanced scorecard and hoshin kanri as integrative dynamic capabilities for the entire strategic management process. It aims to posit a model for the combination of these long‐ and short‐term organisational activities as a framework for a senior level to manage a firm's strategic fit as an integrated organisation‐wide system that links top management goals to daily management.

Design/methodology/approach

The resource‐based view of strategy is explored for its relevance to how a combined balanced scorecard and hoshin kanri approach serves as a high‐order dynamic capability. Examples are given from Canon, Toyota and Nissan, of how core capabilities are managed to show how strategy is executed cross‐functionally across a firm's functional hierarchy.

Findings

The study finds that strategic management of the organisation should consider the long‐term strategy as well as the short‐term capability. Important to this are core capabilities and core competences, cross‐functional management, and top executive audits, which, when managed properly, explicate a new view of strategic fit, as a form of nested hierarchies of dynamic capabilities.

Originality/value

The paper is the first exposition of how balanced scorecard and hoshin kanri practices may usefully complement each other in strategic management. It is a useful framework for dynamically managing sustained competitive advantage.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 45 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 November 2018

Matthias Thürer, Thomas Maschek, Lawrence Fredendall, Peter Gianiodis, Mark Stevenson and Jochen Deuse

The purpose of this paper is to show that Hoshin Kanri has the potential to integrate the operations strategy literature into a coherent structure. Hoshin Kanri’s planning process…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show that Hoshin Kanri has the potential to integrate the operations strategy literature into a coherent structure. Hoshin Kanri’s planning process is typically described as a top-down cascading of goals, starting with the senior management’s goals and moving to the lowest organizational level. The authors argue that this misrepresents a firm’s actual cognitive processes in practice because it implies reasoning from the effects to the cause, and assumes a direct causal relationship between what the customer wants and what is realizable by the system.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is conceptual, based on abductive reasoning and the literature.

Findings

The actual strategic thought process executed in an organization consists of three iterative processes: (i) a translation process that derives the desired customer attributes from customer/stakeholder data, (ii) a process of causal inference that predicts realizable customer attributes from a possible system design and (iii) an integrative process of strategic choices whereby (i) and (ii) are aligned. Each element relies on different cognitive processes (logical relation, causal relation and choice).

Research limitations/implications

By aligning the thought and planning processes, the competing concepts of manufacturing strategy are integrated into a coherent structure.

Practical implications

Different techniques have to be applied for each of the three elements. As each element relies on different cognitive processes (logical relation, causal relation and choice), the use of unifying tools (e.g. in the form of matrices, as often presented in the literature) is inappropriate.

Originality/value

This is the first study to focus on the thought processes underpinning manufacturing strategy.

Article
Publication date: 13 June 2008

Vinh Sum Chau and Barry J. Witcher

The purpose of this paper is to explain how hoshin kanri (policy management) is used as a higher order dynamic capability at Nissan. The paper also seeks to examine the role of…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explain how hoshin kanri (policy management) is used as a higher order dynamic capability at Nissan. The paper also seeks to examine the role of top executive audits as part of the FAIR strategy execution process to develop core competences as part of team management.

Design/methodology/approach

The research used semi‐retrospective ethnographic case summaries recorded by an active manager involved in the implementation process of the researched organizational phenomenon. These documented observations were triangulated against internally published company reports and those made public, and any externally published documentation about Nissan.

Findings

The paper finds that the use of a top executive audit (TEA) as a part of hoshin kanri, works as a high‐order dynamic capability according to Teece et al. . Hoshin kanri is premised on a strong reliance on teamwork, and the effectiveness of teams is a major contributory factor to organizational performance. It works well because TEAs are a special form of organizational audit of lower‐level operations against top‐level strategy (i.e. it is a strategic review framework).

Originality/value

How Nissan's business philosophies and methodologies are managed as core capabilities is explored. TEAs, as a key component of hoshin kanri, are examined as a strategic team performance management system.

Details

Team Performance Management: An International Journal, vol. 14 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1352-7592

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 June 2017

Federico Barnabè and Maria Cleofe Giorgino

This paper builds on the debate regarding the application of Lean strategy principles and tools in modern organizations, specifically focusing on the healthcare (HC) sector. The…

1860

Abstract

Purpose

This paper builds on the debate regarding the application of Lean strategy principles and tools in modern organizations, specifically focusing on the healthcare (HC) sector. The purpose of this paper is threefold: first, to highlight the potential role played by Lean strategy tools for strategic planning and management, particularly in reference to the Hoshin Kanri policy deployment system and the “focus, alignment, integration, and review” (FAIR) method; second, to discuss how Lean strategy can be operationalized, specifically relying on the X-Matrix reporting tool; and third, to explore how simulation techniques, in the form of role-playing (RP), may support the aforementioned operationalization of Lean strategy while at the same time promoting policymaking and knowledge sharing.

Design/methodology/approach

This research adopts a case study approach. Specifically, the paper relies on the use of a RP Lean strategy project developed in a HC setting.

Findings

The paper highlights the potential for the Hoshin Kanri policy deployment process in HC, also emphasizing the main strengths of X-Matrix reporting and the usefulness of the RP technique to support learning acquisition and decision making.

Practical implications

The paper demonstrates how a Lean strategy simulation project may be effectively used for strategic planning/management and to train professionals in HC. To achieve these aims, a methodology to design and implement simulation-based Lean strategy projects in HC is presented and discussed.

Originality/value

A review of the academic literature indicates that Lean strategy is still an emerging research topic addressed by only a limited number of articles. The paper contributes to a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of Lean strategy (particularly Hoshin Kanri and X-Matrix) with particular reference to the HC sector.

Details

The TQM Journal, vol. 29 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2731

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 April 2003

Paul Roberts and Charles Tennant

Hoshin Kanri has been described as one of the core aspects of Japan’s management system, for integrating the principles of total quality management (TQM) within the organisation’s…

1506

Abstract

Hoshin Kanri has been described as one of the core aspects of Japan’s management system, for integrating the principles of total quality management (TQM) within the organisation’s business strategy. Although most of the published case studies have involved large multinational manufacturers, the authors believe that Hoshin Kanri can be applied in any type or size of organisation. This paper describes how the quality and reliability (Q&R) team of the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) at the University of Warwick has applied Hoshin Kanri to create a deeper understanding of customer requirements, a team vision and strategic goals. Deployment has led to achievement of team consensus and commitment to delivering and reviewing the plan, and has demonstrated that the technique works well in a small team within the service sector.

Details

The TQM Magazine, vol. 15 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0954-478X

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Abstract

Details

Leading Lean Six Sigma
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80071-065-8

Article
Publication date: 12 August 2019

Marvin E. Gonzalez, Gioconda Quesada, Juan Luis Martinez and Sebastian Gonzalez-Cordoba

As markets, economies and institutions are increasingly globalized, there is a growing understanding of the need to introduce intercultural learning alongside business learning…

Abstract

Purpose

As markets, economies and institutions are increasingly globalized, there is a growing understanding of the need to introduce intercultural learning alongside business learning. Participating in a study abroad program is potentially one of the most important experiences for any college student. Such programs provide students the opportunity to immerse themselves in different cultures and gain new perspectives. The purpose of this paper is threefold: to identify the main factors that students consider when selecting a program; to integrate quality function deployment (QFD), benchmarking and Hoshin Kanri in the analysis of student expectations and to examine the implications for research and practice.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was based on primary data collected from 180 students at four universities. To design an approach that helps students in the selection of a program that best satisfies their expectations, a self-designed questionnaire was used for data collection. The data were analyzed using the techniques of QFD/benchmarking. Finally, a long-term strategy is proposed based on the Hoshin Kanri theory.

Findings

The great variability in student expectations presents a challenge in designing a methodology of selection; however, it does help in identifying the most important student expectations. A key, balanced relationship among academic quality, having fun and cost cannot be ignored in this study because they represent the factors that are altogether influential in the decision to study abroad. In the current literature, the key variables of study abroad programs are discussed; however, most studies fail to incorporate student expectations. This paper will fill this gap by incorporating both key academic variables and the voice of the customer (student).

Research limitations/implications

Given the diversity of the population, the authors developed several methodologies to standardize the array of student responses to the questionnaire. Using this standardization along with several total quality management (TQM) tools allows us to simplify and categorize the different student expectations. The gathering of students’ expectations directly provided by students (voice of the customer) allows international programs to focus on the real problems and expectations that have been acknowledged, thus yielding student satisfaction with their experience, most importantly, in their field of study.

Practical implications

For universities, the current study identifies new means by which to improve the quality of international programs with the use of TQM tools including QFD, benchmarking and the Hoshin Kanri Planning Process with an evidence-based real case.

Originality/value

This paper presents a conclusive application of QFD, benchmarking and Hoshin Kanri and an analysis of how these tools can help international programs with future improvements incorporating the needs of students in their programs. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first application of these techniques to improve the international experience for business undergraduate students.

Details

Journal of International Education in Business, vol. 14 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-469X

Keywords

1 – 10 of 315