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1 – 10 of 826Leopoldo Gutierrez, Bart Alex Lameijer, Gopesh Anand, Jiju Antony and Vijaya Sunder M
The purpose of this study is to theorize and test the relationships among lean operations and lean supply chain practices, learning- and innovation-oriented lean cultures and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to theorize and test the relationships among lean operations and lean supply chain practices, learning- and innovation-oriented lean cultures and dynamic capabilities (DCs) microfoundations. Further, this study aims to assess the association of DCs microfoundations with process innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
The researchers combine primary data collected from 153 manufacturing firms located in five continents using a survey designed for the purpose of this study with archival data downloaded from the Bureau Van Dijk Orbis database and test the hypothesized relationships using structural equation modelling.
Findings
Results support the contribution of lean operations and lean supply chain practices to the development of DCs microfoundations, which further lead to greater process innovation. Additionally, while a learning-oriented lean culture positively moderates the relationships between both lean operations and lean supply chain practices and DCs microfoundations, an innovation-oriented lean culture only moderates the relationship between lean operations practices and DCs microfoundations.
Practical implications
This study identifies DCs microfoundations as the key mechanisms for firms implementing lean practices to achieve greater levels of process innovation and the important role played by lean cultures. This study provides direction for managers to put in place DCs through lean implementations, enabling their firms to be ready to respond to challenges and opportunities generated by environmental changes.
Originality/value
While previous research has confirmed the positive effects of lean practices on efficiency, the role of lean practices and cultures in developing capabilities for reacting to environmental dynamism has received little attention. This study offers an empirically supported framework that highlights the potential of lean to adapt processes in response to environmental dynamics, thereby extending the lean paradigm beyond the traditional focus on operational efficiency.
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Yen Thi Tran, Nguyen Phong Nguyen and Trang Cam Hoang
Drawing on new public management (NPM) theory and institutional theory, this research examined the direct and indirect effects of an innovation-oriented culture on organisational…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on new public management (NPM) theory and institutional theory, this research examined the direct and indirect effects of an innovation-oriented culture on organisational performance as measured based on financial reporting quality and accountability. The investigation involved public organisations in Vietnam, which is a transition market.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey was administered to accountants and finance managers working in the public sector, and 248 valid questionnaires were subjected to analysis. The research model and hypotheses were tested via partial least squares-structural equation modelling.
Findings
Results indicated that an innovation-oriented culture favourably affects the performance of public sector organisations. The quality of financial reporting and accountability mediate the relationship between the aforementioned culture and performance.
Originality/value
This study is the first to examine the chain of activities that spans innovation, financial reporting quality, accountability and organisational performance in the context of public sector organisations in an Asian transition market.
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Ayman Bahjat Abdallah, Samer Eid Dahiyat and Yoshiki Matsui
The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of innovation orientation (IO) on both the implementation levels of soft and hard lean management (LM), as well as innovation…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of innovation orientation (IO) on both the implementation levels of soft and hard lean management (LM), as well as innovation performance. It also aims at exploring the effects of soft and hard LM on innovation performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The study analyzes survey data collected as a part of a high-performance manufacturing (HPM) project from 238 international manufacturing companies in eight countries and three industries. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were applied to assess construct validity. The study hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling.
Findings
The results demonstrated that innovation-oriented companies tend to adopt aspects of both soft and hard LM. However, the results revealed an insignificant effect of soft and hard LM on innovation performance. The study also showed that innovation performance is positively influenced by an IO. These results indicate that having an IO is vital for enhancing both LM as well as innovation performance. They also evidently suggest that LM is more related to continuous improvement (incremental innovation) rather than (radical) innovation and, as such, is not important for firm’s intent on enhancing their innovation performance.
Practical implications
The current study demonstrates that IO and LM are complementary and not contradicting strategies. The two strategies share many cultural aspects, similarities and commonalities. However, LM is not sufficient to predict innovation performance. Managers of the surveyed manufacturing firms are advised to focus on IO, as it has beneficial impacts on both LM (continuous improvement initiatives) as well as innovation performance. This clearly indicates that placing the emphasis upon radical (innovative) improvement rather than incremental improvement (LM practices) is believed to support continuous and innovative improvement alike.
Originality/value
The relationship between LM and innovation is debated in the existing literature, but the debate is characterized by a lack of empirical evidence. This is one of the first studies that empirically investigates the relationships between IO, LM and innovation performance. It identifies some new insights to direct future research, particularly regarding different innovation types as well as in service organizations.
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Mu Tian, Ping Deng, Yingying Zhang and Maria Paz Salmador
The purpose of this paper is to conduct a systematic literature review of the studies that have analyzed the impact of culture on innovation.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to conduct a systematic literature review of the studies that have analyzed the impact of culture on innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors carried out a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed articles in the past 37 years (January 1980-January 2017). Based on a total of 61 identified primary studies, the authors developed two clusters of culture definition studied in relation to innovation, including organizational culture and national culture.
Findings
After reporting the findings of the systematic literature review, the authors discuss how a variety of culturally related factors combine to facilitate or restrict innovation performance in their corresponding cluster. The findings highlight the complex and idiosyncratic relationship between culture and innovation. Future research lines are recommended.
Research limitations/implications
The authors adopt a systematic literature review method to probe into existing literature, inevitably missing some empirical studies. Implications for future research are suggested.
Practical implications
The paper offers interesting implications for managers and academia. For business practitioners, this study can provide a useful reference regarding the role of cultures in the corporate internal management or international operations; for scholars, the study can provide a current research landscape and development process in this field.
Originality/value
The findings are derived from a systematic literature review that has studied the influence of culture on innovation. In addition, implications and insights as to where future research might be usefully inquired in this field are provided.
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“China phenomena” is changing the knowledge balance of the world. Many countries, in particular, Western countries, are carefully following the development and change of China's…
Abstract
Purpose
“China phenomena” is changing the knowledge balance of the world. Many countries, in particular, Western countries, are carefully following the development and change of China's technology system and innovation policy. After turning itself into the world's manufacturing powerhouse, China aims to be an innovation‐oriented country. The purpose of this paper is to list some of the key factors which favor or hinder China's efforts to build an innovative economy.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper lists some of the key factors, which favor or hinder China's efforts to build an innovation‐oriented country. The factors identified are summarized from a literature review on studies about China's efforts to build innovation capabilities.
Findings
The paper finds that three key factors favor China's efforts to build an innovation‐oriented country, including escalating R&D spending, the upgrading of technological capabilities and global linkages. Four central challenges are facing China, such as how to build human resources, innovative cultures and incentive systems appropriate for innovation and how to strength intellectual property rights protection.
Originality/value
Today, China is, by and large, a follower rather than an innovator in technology. The question whether China will become a real innovative economy in the next 13 years is hard to answer. This paper lists some of the key factors which favor or hinder China's effort to build an innovation‐oriented economy, all of which should be of interest to China's scholars, government officials and practicing managers.
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This research aims to look through the data of Nhan Dan Gia Dinh Hospital, a state‐owned hospital in Vietnam, for evidence on whether a clinical governance initiative cultivates…
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims to look through the data of Nhan Dan Gia Dinh Hospital, a state‐owned hospital in Vietnam, for evidence on whether a clinical governance initiative cultivates ethical leadership, market‐ or innovation‐oriented culture, knowledge sharing, and knowledge‐ or identity‐based trust.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected through a case study approach with hospital document collection, field observations, and in‐depth interviews conducted between April 2009 and April 2011.
Findings
The findings demonstrated that a clinical governance initiative, when effectively implemented, can function as a lever for behavioural transformations in the hospital towards ethical leadership, market‐ or innovation‐oriented culture, knowledge sharing, and knowledge‐ or identity‐based trust.
Originality/value
The current research provides a portrayal of an effective clinical governance initiative with its proactive hospital outcomes such as ethical leadership, market‐ or innovation‐oriented culture, knowledge sharing, and knowledge‐ or identity‐based trust on the hospital journey of sustainable health creation. This paper also highlights the necessity for research that examines other organizational outcomes of clinical governance in Vietnamese hospitals of other ownerships.
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This paper aims to provide a theoretical frame and practical experience for understanding and improving knowledge creation in the RIC. This paper proved through an empirical study…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide a theoretical frame and practical experience for understanding and improving knowledge creation in the RIC. This paper proved through an empirical study that knowledge transfer, knowledge assimilation and knowledge sharing between firms in a resource-based industry chain (RIC) have positive influence on knowledge creation.
Design/methodology/approach
A theoretical model covering knowledge transfer, knowledge assimilation, knowledge sharing and knowledge creation is established in this paper. The research object is the phosphorus chemical industry chain in central Guizhou.
Findings
The findings of this paper provide a theoretical frame and practical experience for understanding and improving knowledge creation in the RIC.
Research limitations/implications
The subjective measures of knowledge capacities present a serious limitation. Another limitation is that the authors examined knowledge creation within the context of RIC. The cross-sectional design prevented the authors from studying causal relationships among the variables.
Originality/value
First, it contributes to the knowledge creation of inter-organization literature. Second, it contributes to the studies of knowledge creation in supply chains. Third, this study demonstrates the importance of investigating the strong network embeddedness and industry property of RIC, which have a critic effect on the capabilities of knowledge sharing, transfer and assimilation.
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Ayman Wael Al-Khatib, Moayyad A. Al-Fawaeer, Mohammed Iqbal Alajlouni and Firas A. Rifai
The purpose of this paper is to identify the effect of organisational culture by its two dimensions (innovative organisational culture and conservative organisational culture) on…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the effect of organisational culture by its two dimensions (innovative organisational culture and conservative organisational culture) on innovative performance and also investigate the moderating role of the job type on innovative performance in the relationship between innovative organisational culture and conservative organisational culture.
Design/methodology/approach
For this study’s purposes, 321 questionnaires from employees of Jordanian private universities were analysed. Convergent validity and discriminant validity tests were performed. Data reliability was confirmed. A bootstrapping technique was used to analyse the data. The multi-group analysis was performed to investigate the moderating role of job type.
Findings
The results of this study indicate that the innovative organisational culture will improve innovative performance and that a conservative culture reduces innovation opportunities. Moreover, innovative organisational culture promotes innovative performance for all employees regardless of who holds administrative positions.
Research limitations/implications
This cross-sectional study provides a snapshot at a given moment in time, a methodological limitation that affects the generalisation of its results. Moreover, this study adopted subjective measures and the results are limited to one country, Jordan.
Practical implications
This paper contributes to drawing the attention of senior management to the importance of innovation culture in the performance of innovation at Jordanian private universities surveyed, in particular, and other organisations in general.
Social implications
The social impact of this study is to respond to the challenge of building an innovation-based culture and to limit the effects of a conservative culture that limits the response to innovation.
Originality/value
This study has important implications for leaders in general. It also highlights the need for organisations to develop an orientation towards innovative organisational culture instead of the classic approach based on the conservative culture of all its members (both administrative and non-administrative employees) and to invest in training that supports this trend, thus increasing their innovative performance, which contributes to raising their capabilities to excel, compete and achieve high levels of performance.
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Annika Steiber and Sverker Alänge
History is full of companies that were once innovative leaders but lost their innovative ability. The purpose of this paper is to explore, from a firm‐level perspective…
Abstract
Purpose
History is full of companies that were once innovative leaders but lost their innovative ability. The purpose of this paper is to explore, from a firm‐level perspective, organizational characteristics for continuous innovation in rapidly changing industries.
Design/methodology/approach
Findings from 28 interviews at Google Inc., are compared to previous research on organizational characteristics for continuous innovation.
Findings
Google's organization can be viewed as a dynamic and open corporate system for continuous innovation, involving the entire organization and supported by an innovation‐oriented and change‐prone top management and board. The relative importance of eight organizational characteristics in this corporate system is elaborated upon.
Research limitations/implications
There is a need for empirical research contributing to the development of a more comprehensive analytical framework for continuous innovation, including the role of culture and selection/facilitation of self‐organizing individuals in innovation processes; and to study how to organize for both continuous innovation and continuous improvements.
Practical implications
The importance of factors such as culture and the selection of individuals, identified in the empirical study, needs to be considered by managers, and might influence their understanding of how to sustain continuous innovation over time.
Originality/value
This paper provides, from a firm‐level perspective and based on a unique access to empirical data, increased understanding of organizational characteristics conducive to continuous innovation in rapidly changing industries, and highlights the importance of characteristics that received less emphasis in previous research literature.
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The purpose of this paper is to adopt a customer‐centric value creation perspective to provide insights into the contribution of business orientations, especially marketing…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to adopt a customer‐centric value creation perspective to provide insights into the contribution of business orientations, especially marketing orientation and innovation orientation to the creation of customer‐centric value (customer equity and brand performance).
Design/methodology/approach
To undertake this examination, a model was developed and then tested to validate its applicability in the context of both developed and developing economies. The paper includes partial least squares.
Findings
The findings demonstrate that being marketing‐oriented and innovation‐oriented appears to be important in creating customers, keeping them, and increasing add‐on selling to them and rewards the firm with greater brand performance in the marketplace. Importantly, these relationships are universally held across developed and developing business environments. Interestingly, marketing orientation was found to contribute more to the creation of customer‐centric value than innovation orientation in developing business environment, whereas the opposite was found in the context of developed business environment.
Research limitations/implications
The data incorporate only the subjective measures of customer‐centric value. Future studies can use financial measures to complement the self‐reporting approach used in this paper. This dual‐approach to measuring the value of customers to the firm (customer equity) and brand performance would provide additional insights into the customer‐centric marketing literature.
Practical implications
The findings suggest that managers should strive to develop a high level of marketing orientation and innovation orientation as two efficient ways to achieve higher levels of customer equity. They are also advised that if their firms are more effective in acquiring potential customers, retaining current customers, and enhancing add‐on selling, they see their brands perform better. Importantly, the findings also provide guidance for managers on how to allocate their resources to key business activities (e.g. marketing and innovation) in the context of international business (developing versus developed business environments).
Originality/value
This study contributes to customer‐centric marketing theory by enhancing understanding of the contribution of marketing and innovation to the creation of customer‐centric value in different business environments. This study also contributes to the business orientation literature by demonstrating the utility of a cultural‐behavioral approach in measuring marketing orientation and innovation orientation.
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