Search results
1 – 10 of over 1000
The purpose of this paper is to present an integrated philosophical foundation for Kaizen.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present an integrated philosophical foundation for Kaizen.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is based on triangulation (and integration) of six philosophies: the Traditional Values, the Process-Oriented Philosophy, Edification, Completeness, Improving Perfection and True-Mindfulness. In addition, the Power of One integrates these philosophies into one solid foundation for Kaizen.
Findings
A framework, called The Kaizen Wheel, is created to represent the integrated philosophical foundation for Kaizen. It shows the big picture and the close knit of the six philosophies for facilitating Kaizen. It also suggests that Kaizen can serve as a new philosophical paradigm for the unification of action and knowledge.
Research limitations/implications
Although empirical contents are implicitly embedded in each of the six philosophies, the paper’s main contribution is to provide a conceptual framework for the integration of Kaizen philosophies. Since this is a conceptual paper, further research and more empirical studies will help facilitate the understanding and practices of Kaizen.
Practical implications
The Kaizen Wheel provides a big picture of the Kaizen philosophies. It is a useful mechanism for practitioners to review their own values so as to provide guidelines for not only their thoughts and behaviors regarding Kaizen activities, but also the design and implementation of Kaizen programs.
Originality/value
This is an original paper. It provides a valuable conceptual framework for providing an integrated foundation for Kaizen research and practice.
Details
Keywords
Ethical decisions determine which individuals and/or groups benefit, and which suffer. Such decisions by executives impact front-line providers directly and customers indirectly;…
Abstract
Purpose
Ethical decisions determine which individuals and/or groups benefit, and which suffer. Such decisions by executives impact front-line providers directly and customers indirectly; they are important because repercussions in service interactions feel personal. The purpose of this paper is to fill an important gap in the service literature by exploring how high-level executives make ethical decisions, creating values and culture within an organization; the results include testable propositions.
Design/methodology/approach
The research used a grounded theory approach, wherein high-level executives in successful service organizations responded through in-depth interviews. Complete interview transcripts were analyzed using standard qualitative methodology, including open coding to better understand and categorize the data, axial coding to seek out crucial relationships between concepts, and selective coding to develop research propositions.
Findings
Data analysis revealed two groups of interviewees, one more outcome-oriented in decision making and the other more process-oriented. The organizations led by more outcome-oriented executives have strong family-like (or paternalistic) cultures, whereas the organizations led by more process-oriented executives value adaptability and diversity.
Research limitations/implications
The executives interviewed are quite successful; therefore, it is not possible to make inferences about unsuccessful executives or those leading poorly performing organizations. Propositions developed relate that process-oriented executives use both analytical measures and intuition in decision making, whereas outcome-oriented respondents rely more heavily on analytical measures.
Practical implications
Service executives apparently make ethical decisions while focusing either on processes or on outcomes; members of these two groups use different evaluative criteria to identify a successful decision. Decisions relating to people within the organization are perceived by the executives to be especially salient, apparently owing to interpersonal interaction in services.
Social implications
There are inherent social implications when ethical decisions are made, because these decisions determine which individuals or groups benefit, and which suffer.
Originality/value
This research is among the first to interview high-level service executives about their ethical decision making when their choices define culture and values within their organizations. Findings offer a new look at how differences between executives that focus on processes and those that focus on outcomes may shape organizational cultures and lead to consideration of different criteria in making and evaluating decisions.
Details
Keywords
Manuel F. Suárez Barraza, Francisco G. Rodríguez González and Jose-A. Miguel Dávila
Discusses the problems of how to structure a computerizedprocess‐oriented test facility [TF] with particular regard to theaerospace, automotive, electronic, chemical and railway…
Abstract
Discusses the problems of how to structure a computerized process‐oriented test facility [TF] with particular regard to the aerospace, automotive, electronic, chemical and railway industries and the military. Covers the areas of test facility functional architecture, operation philosophy, test plan preparation, data management support, system access and security, system engineering support, the conducting of the test and system maintenance support. Concludes that the aim of a structural approach has been to focalize in an organized framework the attention of a test‐designer to the operating and supporting functions of a test facility. The general methodology proposed can be utilised as a reference in many application fields from defence to commercial systems.
Details
Keywords
Todd Huseby and Seng‐cho T. Chou
As firms, especially manufacturers, seek value‐creating opportunities, many are moving operations to low‐cost labor centers. Can firms in the mature economies seize these windows…
Abstract
As firms, especially manufacturers, seek value‐creating opportunities, many are moving operations to low‐cost labor centers. Can firms in the mature economies seize these windows of opportunity to increase productivity in immature economies before wages rise to make their own profits, thus increasing shareholder value? This paper contemplates the ideas that a knowledge‐focused management philosophy, whether technological, process‐oriented, organization structure focused, or cultural can provide managers with techniques to seize this opportunity to create value by increasing labor productivity with less expensive labor. Measuring the value created after implementation of knowledge‐focused management programs can be hard and usually requires comparison to pre‐implementation metrics.
Details
Keywords
Erkan Bayraktar, M.C. Jothishankar, Ekrem Tatoglu and Teresa Wu
This paper seeks to analyze the evolution of shift in the area of operations management (OM) and attempts to anticipate potential developments in the relevant areas of OM.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to analyze the evolution of shift in the area of operations management (OM) and attempts to anticipate potential developments in the relevant areas of OM.
Design/methodology/approach
A hybrid approach is adopted to understand how the field of OM has evolved over time relying on the perspectives of both academics and business practitioners. This evolution of shift in the area of OM is examined based on a thorough literature review and the authors’ industrial experience.
Findings
From the days of functional point solutions relying on concepts like reorder point to finite capacity planning, OM research at present deals with a set of important problems facing both private and public sectors at the organizational level. Most prominent of these include e‐business, supply chain management, production planning and scheduling, product development, decision support systems, information‐based strategy, systems development and implementation, risk and environmental management. OM has also embraced several organization‐wide philosophies including lean production, mass customization and agile manufacturing.
Practical implications
With the advent of Internet and burgeoning of the new economy, this paper provides important insights regarding the evolution of OM in the past, recent developments at present and what the future holds for this field. It is envisaged that a focus on the issues central to OM will soon propel both researchers and industry practitioners beyond existing technologies and also provide the catalyst for developing new ones.
Originality/value
This paper provides useful insights to both researchers and practitioners who are interested in the field of OM.
Details
Keywords
Satish Mehra, Joyce M. Hoffman and Danilo Sirias
Total quality management (TQM) has been acclaimed as an organizational philosophy to enhance global competitiveness. Will TQM continue to be a management philosophy of the future…
Abstract
Total quality management (TQM) has been acclaimed as an organizational philosophy to enhance global competitiveness. Will TQM continue to be a management philosophy of the future in same shape, size, and design? This paper, through literature search and using field experts, identifies the future role of TQM in businesses facing global markets.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to examine the transferability of the intellectual capital approach methodology from the corporate to the national level. Just as financial measures…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the transferability of the intellectual capital approach methodology from the corporate to the national level. Just as financial measures fall short of covering major value drivers at the corporate level, gross national product does not sufficiently reflect future potentials to grow and to contribute to a globalising economy with trans‐national value chains, value cycles and value networks. There have been many efforts to develop core indicators of economic performance, such as ratings of competitiveness, global embeddedness, high‐tech exposure, spending in R&D, competencies to read and calculate of students and many more. The project team concluded that those measures showed two major weaknesses: they lack an overall framework and thus an analysis of their interplay and they overemphasise the reporting in relation to the development or management aspect of the factors considered by the respective approaches.
Design/methodology/approach
The team aspired to create a prototype knowledge report for Austria as part of a prototype procedure, the “Agenda Knowledge”, which should fuel efforts of the country to change its role in the emerging knowledge society from imitator to inventor. The endeavour was based on the Lisbon Agenda of the European Union, which integrates economic competitiveness and social cohesion. A trans‐disciplinary design was applied which is best described as action research and makes use of many different methods at different stages of the process; all methods were evaluated in terms of their effectiveness, efficiency and social acceptance.
Findings
Results of the pilot project comprise a prototype national knowledge report as part of an overarching prototype procedure which is able to deal with incommensurabilities at the level of visions and ends as well as with different paradigms at the level of end‐mean relations in a political rather than in an academic manner.
Originality/value
First process‐oriented approach to the development and monitoring of intellectual capital at the national level.
Details
Keywords
Ming‐Li Shiu, Jui‐Chin Jiang and Mao‐Hsiung Tu
This paper attempts to renew quality function deployment (QFD) in a comprehensive manner and develop a more process‐oriented approach to implement QFD, in order to effectively…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper attempts to renew quality function deployment (QFD) in a comprehensive manner and develop a more process‐oriented approach to implement QFD, in order to effectively support the corporate new product development (NPD) cycle and achieve a more systemic innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper adopts “action research” (AR) as its research methodology. The action research was conducted using a “research/consultant strategy” in a series of projects of collaboration with electronic contract manufacturing companies.
Findings
This paper develops an enhanced QFD (EQFD) system and an implementation process for simultaneously executing QFD with NPD cycle.
Research limitations/implications
This paper studies broadly defined QFD, and focuses on its comprehensive renewal on which there have been very few English‐language publications.
Practical implications
This paper specifies how QFD can be implemented by using NPD approach, so as to effectively support the corporate NPD cycle and achieve a more systemic innovation.
Originality/value
This paper renews QFD in a comprehensive manner (there are seven major features between it and the original QFD as reinforcement) and develops an implementation process (which consists of four stages, eight phases, and 36 steps) by using NPD approach.
Details
Keywords
The challenge facing manufacturing today is one of providing the customer with greater product variety deliverable in ever shorter lead‐times, while minimizing development and…
Abstract
The challenge facing manufacturing today is one of providing the customer with greater product variety deliverable in ever shorter lead‐times, while minimizing development and operating costs. Presents an integrated logistics and manufacturing process implemented in an automotive environment designed to address some of the key issues arising from this challenge. Uses a combination of stabilized build plans and supply schedules in conjunction with an automated JIT control approach for the lot manufacture of a complex product. The automated JIT mechanism enables material to be called off in the required lot quantity in a synchronized manner. Places emphasis on the process aspect of the overall system: the business of materials management being approached in a holistic fashion. Discusses the problems and issues associated with various systems and organizational matters, principally: forming effective multi‐functional teams, specifying the requirements, user education, system robustness and contingency planning. Also discusses the benefits of the automated JIT approach which include improved operational effectiveness and reduced material stock in the overall system. Considers general conclusions on the applicability of the approach, particularly in the manufacture of sub‐assemblies and of other high volume, high complexity products.
Details