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This paper aims to explore the lean production paradigm as promoter of workers' creativity and thinking potential, and recognize this human potential as a fundamental asset for companies' growth and success, being a major factor to face the disturbing and unpredictable needs of current markets, providing companies with the necessary agility. The authors believe these thinkers are the base for an agile company and learning organization.

The objectives were achieved through a deep literature review, starting with the Toyota production system (TPS) origins. Some industrial lean case studies were also explored to show that the adoption of a lean culture promotes a pro‐active attitude and behavior that are so important for companies nowadays.

This paper explores the association between lean production and the promotion of thinkers. For a long period, and even nowadays, it is common to consider the worker as just another production factor that the companies explore to obtain the maximum utilization. This was a result from the distorted knowledge of the Taylor principles and the Ford assembly line model, seeing the worker as a gear in the “big machine”. Lean production was seen, for many years and by many authors, as an extension of this Taylorist/Fordist model but this paper highlights lean production as a work organization model where the worker assumes a position of thinker, continuously looking for improvement and continuously looking for wastes. By reducing wastes, the company will be prepared to accommodate changes and will attain agility.

This paper is mainly based on literature review and on some industrial case studies of lean implementations (recent or just a few years ago); a deep research is necessary on the cause‐effect relation between lean production adoption and promotion of thinkers.

Helping companies to recognize the importance of workers as thinkers will have relevant impacts through the reduction of waste and costs, improving quality and increase productivity and revenue. Also, for workers, this recognition means respect, self‐esteem and confidence, and, essentially, more satisfaction with work.

With lean production and agility, better products will quickly reach society, contributing thus to clients' satisfaction. Also, lean companies' CEO and workers looking for wastes will lead to a reduction of energy consumption, raw materials needs and gas emissions (reducing pollution of air, land and water), producing only what is needed. Being satisfied with their work they will be happier contributing to the raising of the country's happiness.

The authors are not aware of similar research. The paper is meant for those who are interested in improving their companies' operations and workers' relationships.

A deeper understanding of what needs to be considered to improve the targeted incorporation of employees’ knowledge into continuous improvement (CI) programmes in industrialised housebuilding (IHB) is required. This paper aims to address the current lack of involvement and connect it to structural and corporate culture factors. To avoid misjudgements in improvement activities as well as to use the full potential of performance improvement ideas, CI tools and measures need to be adapted to facilitate this integration. Relevant factors are analysed and their influences on CI measures are assessed.

The research approach is built upon an explorative case study supported by a comprehensive literature review. Empirical data were collected through participant observation, guided interviews and company documents.

The influences on employee involvement within CI programmes and the corresponding suitability of important CI measures were evaluated on a set of relevant factors. These factors include unique building projects, project-based focus on order fulfilment, fragmented order fulfilment process, separation of order fulfilment activities in terms of space and time, procedural rules for dealing with on-site failures, short-term contracts with subcontractors and the practice of evaluating and monitoring performance on site.

The research paves the way for the development of suitable tools, measures and methods to effectively involve employees from all profession within a CI programme in IHB. The empirical part of this research is based on a single case study.

This work extends the body of knowledge of CI application in the construction industry with an analysis of factors influencing its implementation and management.

The purpose of this paper is to elucidate how Swedish industry has adapted their products for product/service systems (PSS).

Three case study companies that manufacture forklift trucks, soil compactors and household appliances are studied. Interviews with company staff are conducted as well as product analyses in laboratorial environment. The theory is based mainly on previous PSS, design and remanufacturing research.

A key factor when developing products for PSS is to design the product from a life‐cycle perspective, considering all the product's life‐cycle phases, namely manufacturing, use, maintenance and end‐of‐life treatment. Many of the design improvements deal with the accessibility of parts and components during maintenance and remanufacturing operations, and several of them could reduce the need and cost for maintenance, repair and remanufacturing.

Uncovering any additional product requirements needed for a successful PSS not addressed in this paper. For example, it could be interesting to explore which product data could be collected during use in order to improve the products' different life stages.

The findings in this paper illustrate and describe many industrial implications for engineering designers to consider when developing PSS.

The novelty of this paper is aimed for designers to study how they can adapt their future products used in PSS in a more beneficial way than in traditional product design. The paper shows ideas and general guidelines to follow which have been scarcely published.

A self‐help guide to achieving success in business. Directed more towards the self‐employed, it is relevant to other managers in organizations. Divided into clear sections on creativity and dealing with change; importance of clear goal setting; developing winning business and marketing strategies; negotiating skills; leadership; financial skills; and time management.

The Australasian Health Facility Guidelines (AusHFG) project was initiated in 2005 by the Australian State and Territory Health Departments, and the New Zealand Ministry of Health to guide hospital development in the Australasian region. This paper shares the results of a 2010 survey of guidelines users in three of the health jurisdictions, conducted to understand whether the anticipated project benefits were being achieved and to seek suggestions for future improvements.

AusHFG users were surveyed using an electronic survey instrument. Data gathered included demographic information regarding the users and their projects, user views on the achievement of the anticipated benefits and their suggestions for future improvements to the AusHFG.

In total, 152 people commenced the survey, with fewer fully completing it. Responses were generally positive and supportive of the project. Useful commentary was received regarding possible improvements; some of this illustrated user confusion regarding the purpose and inherent limitations of guidelines of this type.

The survey was conducted in only three out of a possible nine health jurisdictions – it could be further extended to these other jurisdictions in the future.

The research illustrated the need to identify, and to communicate clearly, regularly and effectively with key project stakeholders to ensure user feedback and support for using health design guidelines.

This is the first survey to be conducted of Australian and New Zealand users of health design guidelines. It provides useful feedback to those developing and implementing health guidelines, especially regarding the format, content and delivery of guideline information.

This study applies a decision support tool to prioritize the various drivers that influence employee suggestion schemes (ESSs) in both public and private organizations based in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries for better organizational performance.

Using theories of organizational creativity, an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model was developed with 5 criteria and 24 sub-criteria. Data were collected from executives (n = 48) from both public and private organizations in the GCC. Later, the data were interpreted with a priority vector assigned to each criterion and sub-criterion.

The results indicate that leaders/management support, individual traits and organization culture are the key drivers that influence employees' involvement in an ESS.

The study is limited to a small sample size, and data were collected only in three GCC countries. The study provides insights into ESS in the context of developing countries and is a relevant contribution to both theory and practice. The results will be of interest to businesses and academics for improving understanding on the various enablers of successful employee participation programme implementation and subsequent increase in organizational performance in the GCC.

The novelty of this study is that it resolves the lack of empirical research in the Middle East countries/GCC. The transition phase of knowledge-based economies highlights the significance of innovation and creativity through active employee participation to improve business results. The study attempts to prioritise both individual- and organizational-level drivers for promoting ESS by leveraging theories of creativity in alignment with the GCC National Innovation Agenda. This study can be generalized from the GCC context due to homogeneity in organizational governance and cultural aspects.

The purpose of this paper is to better understand what helps and hinders the engagement of students in a project-based learning (PjBL) approach as the sole mode of teaching and learning for the entire first year of a Bachelor of Applied Management.

This study takes an action research approach by investigating the perceptions of students of an interdisciplinary PjBL programme, and then taking action and responding to the students. Students were asked to share their experiences through a series of surveys spanning the first two years of the programme’s introduction.

Results indicate that there were significant challenges associated with the introduction of a PjBL programme. Students expressed both their positive and negative experiences in relation to working in groups, the way the programme and projects were designed and how the programme was communicated and integrated. The comments and suggestions students made led to a number of recommendations to further improve student engagement and learning outcomes.

The research was conducted at a state-funded tertiary provider located in New Zealand and may not necessarily be applied to other geographical regions or cultures.

The results and recommendations have value for international education in business providers that are interested to introduce or further develop an interdisciplinary PjBL approach.

Further understanding of how students may be further engaged has value for a variety of different contexts where engagement and motivation feature as a desired outcome.

This research study contributes to the understanding of how PjBL can be implemented to increase student motivation and engagement, and the insights provided practical suggestions for similar programmes of an interdisciplinary nature.

This manuscript examines how university coaches can use the Classroom Check-Up (CCU; Reinke et al., 2008) to support continuous school improvement efforts around teacher practice within a PDS model and how collaboration between university faculty can increase their coaching self-efficacy.

The paper is conceptual in that it presents an innovative idea to stimulate discussion, generate new ideas, and advance thinking about supporting educator coaching efficacy in school-university partnerships.

The paper provides insights and ideas for using a collaborative faculty coaching model based on the CCU (Reinke et al., 2008). Each coach provides insight about adapting the model to fit teacher, school, and district needs. Moreover, coaches report on how collaborating impacted their coaching self-efficacy.

This paper fulfills an identified need to support continuous school improvement efforts amid a teaching shortage using a collaborative faculty coaching model. Moreover, the authors explore “coaching self-efficacy” as a rare but valuable construct that is impacted by peer feedback.

Based on an in‐depth comparison of 20 multicultural university curricula, this article aims to provide practical and implementable suggestions about how to improve such curricula in order to ensure highest and globally compatible academic quality. The recently founded developmental Master's curriculum “Global Studies” (GS) at the University of Graz, Austria serves as a case study.

Through an academic web‐based process of authoring and reviewing, over a dozen students and practitioners in Global Studies have compiled this analysis. Such an approach shows that education technologies significantly enhance peer‐oriented scientific culture. Further networking among universities from every continent, and their students, is also facilitated.

Analyses conducted by over 50 contributors during 2010‐2013 show first that the Graz‐based curriculum has achieved international quality standards by spanning multiple faculties, disciplines, professional roles, and perspectives regarding globalisation. Secondly, suggestions for improvements pertaining to nine aggregated issues are provided: partner universities, semester abroad, interdisciplinarity, didactics & lectures, practicals, languages, electives, admission of students, and exams.

The present specific recommendations serve as valuable evidence‐based and authentic input for quality assessment procedures at Graz University, and similarly for other academic curricula elsewhere.

Peer‐oriented higher education profits greatly from student input that has undergone an academic peer review procedure. Such quality assurance is favourably implemented via collaborative education technologies such as web platforms with discussion fora.

Students as the core target group in higher education institutions express their own opinion and are valued as experts and stakeholders in a genuinely democratic procedure.

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the innovative application of an Appreciative Inquiry (AI) approach for the design and implementation of organizational stress management interventions, alongside a case study of the successful design and implementation of the approach. By utilizing the AI methodology to develop a “local stress theory” for the participating organization, the authors propose a model which can be utilized in other similar organizations.

Stage 1: 35 participants completed up to ten daily logs by answering four positively framed questions regarding their working day. Stage 2: semi-structured interviews (n=13). The interview schedule was designed to further elaborate log findings, and begin looking into feasible organizational changes for improvement of stress. Stage 3: two focus groups (Stage 3, total 13 employees) verified interventions from logs and interviews and discuss how these can be implemented.

The log phase identified two key themes for improvement: managerial/organizational support and communication. From these, interviews and focus groups led to workable proposals for simple but likely effective changes. The authors reported findings to management, emphasizing organizational change implementation, and these were subsequently implemented.

The study demonstrated the effectiveness of AI to identify and implement relatively simple but meaningful changes. The AI cycle was completed but allocating lengthy follow-up time for evaluation of outcomes was not possible, although initial responses were favorable. There are also issues of generalizability of the findings.

This is the among first studies to utilize an AI approach for the design of stress management interventions.