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1 – 10 of 30This study describes how two organisations transitioned to teaching Lean online during and post Covid-19. This study aims to establish how Lean teaching and training can be…
Abstract
Purpose
This study describes how two organisations transitioned to teaching Lean online during and post Covid-19. This study aims to establish how Lean teaching and training can be designed and delivered effectively online without adverse effects on the student’s learning experience of Lean concepts.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study approach was used to review the design, application and results of the transition to online Lean teaching and training. Qualitative and quantitative methods were deployed to assess the results.
Findings
Online Lean learning and application were assured via the design of practical problem-based teaching environments, aided by using the virtual classroom as an obeya room and as a kaizen environment where students worked in teams. Students were enabled to learn and apply Lean tools practically and reflect on their learnings.
Practical implications
This study demonstrates that effective online design can ensure. Lean methods are understood without affecting the student's learning, classroom experience and grasp of concepts.
Originality/value
To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is one of the first studies on implementing Lean training and education online during COVID-19 under the lens of both a training provider and university education viewpoint. The changes validated best practices for virtual Lean education and training in the organisations under study, maintained post-COVID.
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Sadia Samar Ali, Rajbir Kaur and Jose Antonio Marmolejo Saucedo
Federico Barravecchia, Fiorenzo Franceschini, Luca Mastrogiacomo and Mohamed Zaki
The paper attempts to address the following research questions (RQs): RQ1: What are the main research topics within PSS research? RQ2: What are future trends for PSS research?
Abstract
Purpose
The paper attempts to address the following research questions (RQs): RQ1: What are the main research topics within PSS research? RQ2: What are future trends for PSS research?
Design/methodology/approach
Twenty years of research (1999–2018) on product-service systems (PSS) produced a significant amount of scientific literature on the topic. As the PSS field is relatively new and fragmented across different disciplines, a review of the prior and relevant literature is important in order to provide the necessary framework for understanding current developments and future perspectives. This paper aims to review and organize research contributions regarding PSS. A machine-learning algorithm, namely Latent Dirichlet Allocation, has been applied to the whole literature corpus on PSS in order to understand its structure.
Findings
The adopted approach resulted in the definition of eight distinct and representative topics able to deal adequately with the multidisciplinarity of the PSS. Furthermore, a systematic review of the literature is proposed to summarize the state-of-the-art and limitations in the identified PSS research topics. Based on this critical analysis, major gaps and future research challenges are presented and discussed.
Originality/value
On the basis of the results of the topic landscape, the paper presents some potential research opportunities on PSSs. In particular, challenges, transversal to the eight research topics and related to recent technology trends and digital transformation, have been discussed.
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Keyvan Rezghdeh and Sajjad Shokouhyar
The main purpose of the present study was to improve and develop previously proposed models for Iran telecommunication networks. It should be noted that the six-dimensional (6D…
Abstract
Purpose
The main purpose of the present study was to improve and develop previously proposed models for Iran telecommunication networks. It should be noted that the six-dimensional (6D) sustainability model used in this study will be a useful and comprehensive model for industries. Since, the new dimension of IT along with the five well-known economic, social, environmental, technical and institutional aspects of organizations is considered to have great impacts on supply chain sustainability; the proposed framework can be practical.
Design/methodology/approach
According to the related literature review, there are two research streams in supply chain management. The first stream is exploratory research, seeking out conceptual discussions in this area. The second one is associated with mathematical models and techniques, aiming to set decision-making rules in this regard (Agrell et al., 2004). In this study, evaluation was performed using the FMEA method as an analytical technique based on the principle of pre-occurrence prevention to identify potential failure factors in sensitive systems (Mohammadfam and Kianfari, 2008).
Findings
After identifying the risks and causes of the incidence and effects and consequences of risks, preventive and risk control measures and advisory strategies were presented. Customers with 45.76% share in critical risks are threatening to maintain supply chain in these companies. During this study, it was found that 33.9% of the main source of supply chain critical risks was customers, constituting 45.76% of such risks, accompanied by organization, having a 38.88% share of critical risk generation. The study findings also revealed that 33.9% of critical risks were mainly (equally) related to economic and technical aspects of supply chain sustainability in telecommunication networks. Moreover, as a newly-introduced sixth dimension, IT represented 10.17% of critical risks threatening supply chain sustainability in such networks. Critical risks are mainly related to the economic and technical aspects (equally) with the sustainability of the telecommunication networks supply chain. Also, as a new finding and the sixth dimension, 10.17% of the critical risks that threaten the sustainability of the telecommunication networks supply chain have the information technology dimension.
Originality/value
The internet and fixed and mobile data services are provided by several private companies in Iran, which are relatively similar in terms of their supply chains. In order to manage the sustainability of Iran's telecommunication supply chain, telecommunication networks affiliated to Iran Telecommunication Company (ITC), operating in the field of data and internet services and fixed telephone were selected in 31 provinces. The intended networks were also providing an important part of the country's needs including Mobile Telecommunication Company of Iran, a subsidiary of Iran's telecommunication networks, as one of the top companies in this industry. Accordingly, all the networks studied in this study needed to be identified with regard to communication sustainability risks, since they provide management solutions to each other by segregating risks. In this study, 68 managers and 72 experts participated in different work teams of telecommunication networks.
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Lucia Pizzichini, Valerio Temperini, Federica Caboni and Armando Papa
This paper aims to contribute to overcoming the gap existing in the supply chain literature related to digital servitization by bridging digital servitization with knowledge…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to contribute to overcoming the gap existing in the supply chain literature related to digital servitization by bridging digital servitization with knowledge management and identifying the rise of digital knowledge servitization as a driver for changes in the supply chain business model towards open innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
The study follows an inductive grounded theory approach for theory building. To analyse the impact of digital knowledge servitization, in-depth interviews of managers in the main business units of the Volvo Group supply chain ecosystem were carried out.
Findings
The results show how the digital servitization process affects the supply chain business model, highlighting the central role of knowledge in the service ecosystem and the rise of the theoretical concept of digital knowledge servitization. In particular, through the Innovation Lab (Volvo Group) study, the paper contributes to bringing together the theoretical knowledge-based view of servitization with the digital servitization concept, which demonstrates the role of this combined perspective in the transformation of the supply chain; this is carried out by introducing a new business model based on open innovation in inbound and outbound processes.
Practical implications
The research offers interesting insights from a managerial perspective, as increasingly advanced and complex digital solutions require shorter times in supply chain management (SCM). Companies need to be able to quickly manage information and knowledge flows deriving from internal and external interactions and involvement with external actors upstream and downstream of the supply chain ecosystem. Therefore, the digital knowledge servitization of the supply chain also highlights implications for managers in terms of human resources management.
Originality/value
The novel research goal is to contribute to the supply chain literature by integrating the digital servitization with the knowledge view and analysing the impact on the inbound and outbound supply chain through the introduction of an open innovation business model.
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Henrik Saabye, Daryl John Powell and Paul Coughlan
Being acquainted with both lean and action learning in theory and in practice, this study finds that the theoretical complementarity of these two research streams has…
Abstract
Purpose
Being acquainted with both lean and action learning in theory and in practice, this study finds that the theoretical complementarity of these two research streams has traditionally been underexploited. In this conceptual paper, this study aims to advance the theoretical understanding of lean by exploring the complementarity of lean thinking and action learning leading to a proposed integrated theory of these two research streams. Target audience is the operations management research community.
Design/methodology/approach
By deliberately adopting a process of theorising, this paper explores, reflects upon and combines individual experiences of researching, teaching and engaging in lean and action learning as operations management scholars.
Findings
Having taken a gemba walk through the literature and practices of lean and action learning, this study views and notices a systematic and complementary relationship between the two domains. The overlapping theoretical and practical complementarities of lean and action learning suggest that these two research streams are ripe for synthesis into an integrated theory. This finding provides an opportunity to (1) progress towards an integrative design of interventions leading to more sustainable lean system adoptions and (2) add new depth to our theoretical explanation of the success and failures of lean system adoptions.
Originality/value
This paper contributes an original integrated theory perspective on lean and action learning.
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Henk J. Doeleman, Desirée H. van Dun and Celeste P.M. Wilderom
Implementing a new organizational strategy effectively nowadays is said to require open strategizing practices. The purpose of this paper is to examine the adoption of three…
Abstract
Purpose
Implementing a new organizational strategy effectively nowadays is said to require open strategizing practices. The purpose of this paper is to examine the adoption of three intertwined open strategizing practices in conjunction with a transformational leadership style towards effective strategy implementation.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was conducted within 37 geographically dispersed locations of a Dutch governmental organization. The top managers and senior managers were surveyed at two points in time (n T1 = 548; n T2 = 414) and group interviewed at T2. Exploratory factor and linear regression analyses were performed. The qualitative data pertaining to the specific way in which leaders can impact the relationship between open strategizing practices and strategy implementation was analyzed using the Gioia methodology.
Findings
As hypothesized, transformational leadership moderates the positive relationship between open strategizing practices and effective strategy implementation. This moderating effect was corroborated through the interview data in which the managers stressed the need for “intrinsically motivated” and “empowering” leaders to effectively support the adoption of their own locally-developed location strategy, as part of the overall strategy.
Research limitations/implications
Despite the timely focus on the three intertwined open strategizing practices, the findings are only based on the perceptions of the various top and senior managers employed by one Western public sector organization.
Practical implications
Top and senior managers who need to improve their organization's strategy implementation can apply the here tested three open strategizing practices. They should also be aware of the key role of transformational leadership.
Originality/value
The authors contribute to the “open” strategy-as-practice domain by showing how top and senior managers' transformational leadership style supports the beneficial effects of adopting the three practices.
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Ambra Galeazzo, Andrea Furlan, Diletta Tosetto and Andrea Vinelli
We studied the relationship between job engagement and systematic problem solving (SPS) among shop-floor employees and how lean production (LP) and Internet of Things (IoT…
Abstract
Purpose
We studied the relationship between job engagement and systematic problem solving (SPS) among shop-floor employees and how lean production (LP) and Internet of Things (IoT) systems moderate this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
We collected data from a sample of 440 shop floor workers in 101 manufacturing work units across 33 plants. Because our data is nested, we employed a series of multilevel regression models to test the hypotheses. The application of IoT systems within work units was evaluated by our research team through direct observations from on-site visits.
Findings
Our findings indicate a positive association between job engagement and SPS. Additionally, we found that the adoption of lean bundles positively moderates this relationship, while, surprisingly, the adoption of IoT systems negatively moderates this relationship. Interestingly, we found that, when the adoption of IoT systems is complemented by a lean management system, workers tend to experience a higher effect on the SPS of their engagement.
Research limitations/implications
One limitation of this research is the reliance on the self-reported data collected from both workers (job engagement, SPS and control variables) and supervisors (lean bundles). Furthermore, our study was conducted in a specific country, Italy, which might have limitations on the generalizability of the results since cross-cultural differences in job engagement and SPS have been documented.
Practical implications
Our findings highlight that employees’ strong engagement in SPS behaviors is shaped by the managerial and technological systems implemented on the shop floor. Specifically, we point out that implementing IoT systems without the appropriate managerial practices can pose challenges to fostering employee engagement and SPS.
Originality/value
This paper provides new insights on how lean and new technologies contribute to the development of learning-to-learn capabilities at the individual level by empirically analyzing the moderating effects of IoT systems and LP on the relationship between job engagement and SPS.
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Mpho Trinity Manenzhe, Arnesh Telukdarie and Megashnee Munsamy
The purpose of this paper is to propose a system dynamic simulated process model for maintenance work management incorporating the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a system dynamic simulated process model for maintenance work management incorporating the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies.
Design/methodology/approach
The extant literature in physical assets maintenance depicts that poor maintenance management is predominantly because of a lack of a clearly defined maintenance work management process model, resulting in poor management of maintenance work. This paper solves this complex phenomenon using a combination of conceptual process modeling and system dynamics simulation incorporating 4IR technologies. A process for maintenance work management and its control actions on scheduled maintenance tasks versus unscheduled maintenance tasks is modeled, replicating real-world scenarios with a digital lens (4IR technologies) for predictive maintenance strategy.
Findings
A process for maintenance work management is thus modeled and simulated as a dynamic system. Post-model validation, this study reveals that the real-world maintenance work management process can be replicated using system dynamics modeling. The impact analysis of 4IR technologies on maintenance work management systems reveals that the implementation of 4IR technologies intensifies asset performance with an overall gain of 27.46%, yielding the best maintenance index. This study further reveals that the benefits of 4IR technologies positively impact equipment defect predictability before failure, thereby yielding a predictive maintenance strategy.
Research limitations/implications
The study focused on maintenance work management system without the consideration of other subsystems such as cost of maintenance, production dynamics, and supply chain management.
Practical implications
The maintenance real-world quantitative data is retrieved from two maintenance departments from company A, for a period of 24 months, representing years 2017 and 2018. The maintenance quantitative data retrieved represent six various types of equipment used at underground Mines. The maintenance management qualitative data (Organizational documents) in maintenance management are retrieved from company A and company B. Company A is a global mining industry, and company B is a global manufacturing industry. The reliability of the data used in the model validation have practical implications on how maintenance work management system behaves with the benefit of 4IR technologies' implementation.
Social implications
This research study yields an overall benefit in asset management, thereby intensifying asset performance. The expected learnings are intended to benefit future research in the physical asset management field of study and most important to the industry practitioners in physical asset management.
Originality/value
This paper provides for a model in which maintenance work and its dynamics is systematically managed. Uncontrollable corrective maintenance work increases the complexity of the overall maintenance work management. The use of a system dynamic model and simulation incorporating 4IR technologies adds value on the maintenance work management effectiveness.
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