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As organisational culture has become recognised as a significant phenomenon for understanding both managerial and organisational dynamics and development, two requirements have risen. On the one hand, we need a conceptual framework for comprehending culture and, on the other hand, we need methodologies for making culture visible. This article offers both – initially describing what is becoming a major conceptual framework for culture work, and then outlining a workshop methodology for making culture visible. An extended case illustrates both the framework and one form of culture‐surfacing methodology.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the integration of discrete event simulation (DES) and value stream mapping (VSM) to enhance the productivity of road surfacing operations by achieving high production rates and minimum road closure times. Highway infrastructure is one of the most valuable assets owned by the public sector. The success of national and local economies as well as quality of life of the general public depend on the efficient operations of highways. Ensuring smooth traffic operations requires maintenance and improvements of the highest standard.

Research approach involved the use of primary data collected from direct observation, interviews, review of archival records and productivity databases. Based on this, process maps and value stream maps were developed which were subsequently used to produce discrete event simulation models for the exploration of different optimisation scenarios.

This research highlights the synergistic relationship between VSM and DES in driving innovation in construction processes. Identified factors that affect roadworks process productivity include machine, manpower, material, information, environment and method-related factors. A DES model is presented to optimise the process and increase the production rates. A hybrid DES-VSM approach ensures an integrated approach to process optimisation.

This study is an application of hybrid version of previously published DES-VSM framework in the manufacturing sector. The present study has extended and tested its applicability within road surfacing operations. The different what-if scenarios presented in this paper might not be applicable to other parts of the world owing to various constraints. The study has focused on addressing the waste production inherent in pavement laying process. Even though external variables could possibly influence pavement process, those were ignored to allow for in-depth focus on the process under consideration.

Road users are one of the most important stakeholders that will benefit from the positive implications of this study. Private resurfacing companies and transport departments can optimise their overall process and style of working by comparing their end-to-end process and work plans with the ones mentioned in this paper. It will boost the productivity of equipment like planners, pavers and other machines used for resurfacing operations.

Existing approaches to process modelling such as VSM and process diagrams are constrained by their effectiveness in the analysis of dynamic and complex processes. This study presents a DES-based approach to validate targeted improvements of the current state of road surfacing processes and in exploration of different optimisation scenarios.

FRICTION surfacing, a process for applying extremely hard coatings on to steel, is now available on a large commercial scale, following the completion of the world's first purpose‐built friction surfacing machine. The machine was demonstrated for the first time at an open day in Doncaster recently.

The introduction of time compression technologies into the modern mechanical design process is now well established. Most major automotive and aerospace companies have invested, as have their Tier 1 suppliers. It has been identified that a bottleneck affecting all aspects of the cycle is the measurement process. In this paper we shall discuss potential benefits of adopting non‐contact techniques. In section 1 we discuss the need for rapid physical measurement within the context of the mechanical design process. The processes required for surface creation and inspection are discussed in Section 2 with regard to contact and non‐contact measurement. Section 3 reviews the operating principles of commercially available non‐contact systems. Finally Section 4 discusses practical issues relating to the implementation and use of non‐contact systems in the manufacturing environment.

The purpose of this study is to empirically test and extend knowledge of the effects of emotional labor of frontline service employee.

The authors examined the effects of emotional labor (surface acting and deep acting) on frontline employee creativity, as well as the mediating effects of different kinds of job stress (hindrance stress and challenge stress) on the relationship between emotional labor and creativity. The research hypotheses were tested using data collected from 416 service employee–supervisor dyads in 82 Chinese local restaurants.

Results show that surface acting is negatively related to and deep acting is positively related to frontline employee creativity; surface acting is positively related to hindrance stress, while deep acting is positively related to challenge stress; and hindrance stress mediates the relationship between surface acting and creativity.

This study extends the consequences of emotional labor to frontline employee creativity from a cognitive perspective. It also advances knowledge about the effects of emotional labor on stress by classifying different kinds of job stress caused by different cognitive appraisals of surfacing acting and deep acting, and revealing the role of hindrance stress as psychological mechanism through which surface acting affects creativity.

TWI, as The Welding Institute prefers to be called these days, is one of the success stories of the late 1980s. At a time when many research associations were suffering decline TWI has expanded both technically and commercially. At its open days last June it presented an air of quiet confidence to its many visistors.

Plasma transferred arc (PTA) coating is a novel method for surface-coating applications. In this method, the substrate is melted using a plasma arc, and surfacing agents such as carbides are introduced to the melt pool. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of boron carbide (B₄C) in nickel-based coating on AISI 4140 steel.

Samples were tested on a ball-on-disc wear device, and the microstructure, as well as wear properties, were investigated using SEM and XRD.

The effect of B₄C addition was shown to be linear, with a p-value of 0.0248, indicating strong evidence. The reason for this increase was found to be the increase in third-body generation resulting from hard phases that form couples with the soft base material, nickel. It was concluded that using 6 per cent B₄C was the optimal solution.

In the literature, the effect of neither low temperature on a nickel coating with B₄C nor B₄C as a single surfacing agent in a nickel base has been investigated.

The purpose of this paper is the implementation of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in a manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) in Greece in order to understand the contribution of LSS in its process improvement and to identify the parameters playing a crucial role in LSS adoption by SMEs. The ability to achieve high-effect improvements without cost investment is also examined to cope with low investment margin that is a characteristic of SMEs.

This case study is based on the combination of Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control (DMAIC) phases with the Yin's method for case studies for a complete and efficient implementation and presentation of the project.

The analysis of this case study revealed that by accomplishing specific critical success factors for the fulfillment of the LSS project, the company attained important benefits by utilizing only the working hours of employees. It was also found that the improvements of LSS projects can be measured using other metrics which can indirectly be translated into monetary terms.

The paper can be a useful guide of how SMEs can achieve high-impact improvements with low or no investment cost utilizing LSS initiatives in small-scale projects.

According to the literature, there is a need for more case studies concerning LSS implementation in SMEs. Examples of how low-cost/high-effect improvement initiatives can be implemented have not been adequately presented before. The assessment of the impact of improvement initiatives with non-monetary measures is also innovative.

Discusses that the only true source of sustainable competitive advantage seems to be by building learning organizations. Says that, in order to ensure the survival of their organizations, managers need to focus on individual and organizational learning, the development of a shared vision, an awareness of the internal environment and the external context, and that a key requirement in this process is the ability to surface and test the mental models of people throughout the organization. Also one of the ways of testing mental models is within the context of action. States that exploration of effective action is examined using the Rosenthal stage. Uses an action‐based method using a miniature stage. The Rosenthal stage involves a five‐step process of surfacing, externalizing, reflecting, revealing, and active dialogue of people’s perceptions of their organization. Presents a case study which demonstrates the surfacing of a mental model of a senior manager in a multinational communications organization. The power of the Rosenthal stage enabled this manager, after one session, to gain contextual insight into the breadth of his organization, and the value of his contribution.