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11 – 20 of 224Richard Delbridge and Nick Oliver
Noting moves towards just‐in‐time production methods in the UKpassenger vehicle industry, this article considers the impact of suchmoves at the retail and distribution end of the…
Abstract
Noting moves towards just‐in‐time production methods in the UK passenger vehicle industry, this article considers the impact of such moves at the retail and distribution end of the supply chain. Based on interviews with a number of vehicle retailers selling cars manufactured both in the UK and overseas, it appears as if little progress towards true just‐in‐time (as practised by Toyota in Japan) is occurring.
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Describes moves towards quasi market‐based systems of resourceallocation in Britain′s universities. Considers the appropriateness ofexisting organizational structures to meet the…
Abstract
Describes moves towards quasi market‐based systems of resource allocation in Britain′s universities. Considers the appropriateness of existing organizational structures to meet the cost and quality pressures generated by these systems and, drawing on ideas from the total quality movement, analyses the implications for organization, control and performance measurement in universities.
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For some years now the contemporary management literature has been burgeoning with articles on Japanese management practice. There is debate as to how representative of reality…
Abstract
For some years now the contemporary management literature has been burgeoning with articles on Japanese management practice. There is debate as to how representative of reality some of these accounts actually are, which practices are crucial to business success and whether their transfer to a Western context is possible or desirable. These concerns are by no means limited to academic circles; many prominent Western companies with manufacturing operations in the UK are experimenting with elements of “Japanese” management practice, particularly within the motor industry.
Nick Oliver and Richard Delbridge
The findings of a pilot study into contemporary developments in theUK car retailing sector are reported. Two trends were particularlyapparent: a mounting concern with the quality…
Abstract
The findings of a pilot study into contemporary developments in the UK car retailing sector are reported. Two trends were particularly apparent: a mounting concern with the quality of customer service and a rise in the number of multi‐franchise retail groups. Such groups appear to be more advanced than the volume manufacturers in their thinking about quality of service. Overall there was evidence of a limited shift in the nature of the relationship between the vehicle manufacturers and their retailers.
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Jim Lowe, Rick Delbridge and Nick Oliver
In recent years certain writers have put forward the notion that a distinctive and definite change has occurred in the way in which employees are managed (Beer et al, 1985; Guest…
Abstract
In recent years certain writers have put forward the notion that a distinctive and definite change has occurred in the way in which employees are managed (Beer et al, 1985; Guest, 1987; Poole, 1991; Sisson, 1991). The term or concept of Human Resource Management (HRM) has been used to describe these changes and has fuelled a spirited debate among academics and practitioners. This debate has centred on the distinctiveness of HRM and in particular whether, and in what ways, it is different to its predecessor, so called Personnel Management. This debate has considered the extent to which HRM has theoretical validity as a concept with predictive capabilities and/or the extent to which it represents a model with internally consistent features and dimensions. Others have suggested it is perhaps better understood as a map or a bracketing ‘catch all’ concept for a cluster of related management practices or approaches (Legge, 1989; Noon, 1992). The related debate has concerned the attempt by writers and commentators to establish empirically whether definitive changes have in fact taken place. Apart from case studies of exemplar (usually American and Japanese) organizations, wider survey and case material of UK based brownfield operations has tended to suggest limited adoption of HRM although Storey's (1992) recent collection of case material suggests that the wider adoption of HRM is underway.
In the 1980s and 1990s enthusiasm for Japanese or “lean” manufacturing methods swept through Western industry. At the time, commentators argued that these methods represented a…
Abstract
Purpose
In the 1980s and 1990s enthusiasm for Japanese or “lean” manufacturing methods swept through Western industry. At the time, commentators argued that these methods represented a new paradigm of manufacturing, a radical break with traditional methods. The purpose of this paper is to explore the process of conversion from one paradigm to another, drawing on Kuhn's ideas on the structure of scientific revolutions.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses a critical‐incident approach to illustrate the conversion to, and defence of, a particular view of the world. Two incidents are used. The first is a one‐day seminar by a leading proponent in the field, in which the author acted as a participant observer. The second is the response of the UK engineering community to the publication of a report questioning the financial benefits of Japanese or lean manufacturing methods.
Findings
Although the introduction of new management methods is typically justified on rational grounds, this paper argues that, in common with the scientific paradigm shifts identified by Kuhn, enthusiasm for lean methods is based on non‐rational criteria as well as on their apparently superior efficiency. The language used to discussion of lean ideas in the two critical incidents is reminiscent of that used in religious conversions, and the responses to criticism of the methods are analogous to responses to blasphemy in a religious context.
Research limitations/implications
The research is based on analysis of conversion to, and defence of, lean ideas, but it carries implications for many other types of organisational change as well. The findings draw attention to how non‐rational criteria can shape the direction of major programmes of change, and hence the direction and strategies of organisations.
Practical implications
The paper carries implications for the process by which change can be engendered and managed. It identifies the processes by which conversion to new ideas can occur, identifying critical conditions on the part of the purveyors of the ideas (expertness, trustworthiness and personal dynamism) as well as features of the ideas themselves, such as the availability of local demonstrations of applicability, their aesthetic appeal and their ability to predict events and/or solve problems previously considered to be intractable.
Originality/value
The paper represents a novel perspective on processes of organisational change, by likening the process of change to that of scientific revolutions and demonstrating the non‐rational aspects of the change process.
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A conference on this theme was organised at the Cardiff Business School, 14–15th September, 1988 and a selection of abstracts of papers presented has been compiled.
Mechanisms for increasing participation of employees in problem‐solving activities such as continuous improvement (CI) programmes often include the use of problem‐solving teams…
Abstract
Mechanisms for increasing participation of employees in problem‐solving activities such as continuous improvement (CI) programmes often include the use of problem‐solving teams. Teams can support problem solving by emphasizing accountability for the production process within the work unit, thereby increasing the sense of responsibility for (local) problems. However, it is unclear how effort within these organisational forms should be rewarded. This article describes the use of problem‐solving teams within a UK automotive component company, and examines the implications for human resource policy, in particular for the reward and recognition systems. The article outlines the outcomes that ensued when two reward systems existed, one for team‐based activities and another for individual suggestions. The contradictions of the two systems are considered in the context of the organisation’s historical individualistic approach to reward systems.
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Nick Oliver, Rick Delbridge and Jim Lowe
Reports the findings of a study into manufacturing performance and practice in 71 auto components plants in eight countries. Documents the performance differences between plants…
Abstract
Reports the findings of a study into manufacturing performance and practice in 71 auto components plants in eight countries. Documents the performance differences between plants in different countries, and tests the extent to which lean production principles explain variations in performance. As a group, European plants trailed the USA and Japan on productivity and quality. Measures of process discipline and control most consistently discriminated between the high and low‐performing plants. There was no clear link between performance and patterns of work organization or human resource policy.
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Nick Oliver, Rick Delbridge and James Lowe
This paper reports the findings of a study into 12 UK and nine Japanese automotive component plants. Compared to the UK plants, the Japanese plants showed a 60 per cent…
Abstract
This paper reports the findings of a study into 12 UK and nine Japanese automotive component plants. Compared to the UK plants, the Japanese plants showed a 60 per cent superiority on productivity and a 9:1 superiority in quality. Detailed examination of work structures on the shopfloor revealed that UK plants devolve more responsibility to operators for activities such as quality monitoring and improvement, work allocation and work pace determination than the Japanese plants do. This implies that key aspects of the Japanese model may have been misrepresented in the Japanization debate.
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