Achieving employee commitment for continuous improvement initiatives

Application of six sigma and the system thinking approach in COVID-19 operation management: a case study of the victorian aged care response centre (VACRC) in Australia

COVID-19 has posed many unique and critical challenges in various contexts and circumstances. This often led the stakeholders and decision-makers to depart from traditional thinking and the business-as-usual processes and to come up with innovative approaches to tackle various mission-critical situations within a short time frame. In this paper, a real-life case study of COVID-19 operation management following a multi-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder novel integrated approach in aged care facilities in Victoria, Australia, is presented which yielded significant and positive outcomes. The purpose of the intervention was to develop an integrated system performance approach through the application of various quality management tools and techniques to achieve organizational excellence at the aged care centers. The case involved the use of mathematical models along with statistical tools and techniques to address the specific problem scenario. A system-wide management plan was proposed, involving various agencies across several residential aged care facilities during the pandemic. A three-step methodological framework was developed, where Six Sigma, a system thinking approach, and a holistic metric were proposed to manage the value chain of the pandemic management system. The experimental result analyses showed significant improvement in the management process, suggesting the validity and potential of this holistic approach to stabilize the situation and subsequently set the conditions for operations excellence within the sectors. The model offers new insight into the existing body of knowledge and offers an efficient approach to achieving operational excellence in any organization or business regardless of its type, shape and complexity, which can help practitioners in managing complex, mission-critical situations like a pandemic.

“Expecting the unexpected?” Uncovering role expectation differences in a Dutch hospital

The aim of this study was to empirically investigate differences in role expectations, among the stakeholders involved, about the devolved personnel management role of front-line managers (FLMs). In particular, we researched the role expectation differences between FLMs, their middle managers, and Human Resource (HR) practitioners. In total, nineteen semi-structured interviews have been conducted involving eleven FLMs, eight middle managers, and two HR practitioners working at the same Dutch hospital. Most discovered role expectation differences were related to how FLMs should execute their HR tasks (i.e., process ambiguity). FLMs were often uncertain if their role enactment met those of their middle managers and/or HR practitioners, herewith indicating role stress. Our findings underline the importance of paying attention to role expectations’ differences in aligning components of the HRM-performance relationship. Future research could include the role expectations of other important stakeholders, such as: subordinates and top management. The outcomes of this empirical work are translated into four interventions to diminish FLMs’ role stress.

Service Orientation and Customer Performance: Triad Perspectives of Sales Managers, Sales Employees, and Customers

This study examines how shop managers’ attitudes toward customers are transferred to sales employees, and thus affect customer performance. We surveyed shop managers, sales employees, and customers in five department stores in Seoul, South Korea, in June 2021 to determine the relationships among service orientation, customer orientation, customers’ perceptions of sales employees’ authenticity, and customer performance. We found that sales managers’ service orientation positively influences sales employees’ service and customer orientation. Furthermore, this orientation positively correlates with customers’ perceptions of sales employees’ authenticity, thereby improving service performance and customer loyalty. Few studies have examined how institutional-level capacity and attitudes influence employees within organizations and how this, in turn, affects service performance. Thus, this study theoretically and empirically explores how sales managers’ attitudes and sales behaviors are transferred to sales employees and how this affects customer performance. The research findings fill a gap in the current understanding of customer performance in the service industry.

Factors associated with the timely completion of doctoral research studies in clinical pharmacy: A mixed-methods study

Introduction

There is growing scientific evidence of mental and well-being issues that doctoral research students face as a result of not finishing their program on time. This study aims to explore the factors associated with the timely completion of doctoral research studies in the clinical pharmacy speciality.

Methods

This was a mixed-method study that combined surveys with in-depth interviews. Current doctoral research students and pharmacists who have recently completed their doctoral research program participated in the study. A validated questionnaire and an interview topic guide developed from the literature and pretesting were used to collect data. Data for this study were collected between February 2021 and September 2021. Quantitative data were analysed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) V.25 while interview data were subjected to reflexive thematic analysis.

Results

47 students who are currently pursuing their doctoral research program in clinical pharmacy participated in the survey, while 8 pharmacists who had recently completed their doctoral research program in clinical pharmacy participated in the in-depth interviews. Five themes were identified: factors contributing to delay in the program, factors contributing to the timely completion of the program, ways to improve the program, advice to current students and advice to prospective students. Having more than one supervisor, supervisors’ commitment to the research work and support from the department were identified as facilitators of timely completion of doctoral research programs in clinical pharmacy.

Conclusion

Our study provides an understanding of the barriers and facilitators of timely completion of doctoral research programs in the clinical pharmacy specialist, and how these can be used to improve the postgraduate study programs in Nigeria.

Impact of perceived importance of cultural readiness factors on perceived importance of Lean Six Sigma success factors for manufacturers

Purpose

This study aims at investigating the impact of the perceived importance of critical cultural readiness factors (CRFs) is on perceived importance of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) technical critical success factors (CSFs) in UK manufacturing sector.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey questionnaire through a multiple embedded case study was conducted. The study involves surveying people in the manufacturing firms followed by non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis test to study the relationships.

Findings

It was found that the people's perception towards impact of CRFs on technical CSFs of LSS projects is different depending upon each CRF, demographic factors and technical CSFs. This means that particular CRFs need to be prioritised to address LSS technical CSFs.

Research limitations/implications

The study fills the research gap in investigating the perception of people towards inter-relationship of cultural or soft CSFs of LSS and technical or hard CSFs of LSS in manufacturing firms. Nevertheless, the authors suggest further multi-case study analysis covering different manufacturing fields as future studies.

Practical implications

The study is crucial for managers financially to be ready to invest on a successful LSS project and it helps them to diagnose the cultural causes of failure in a more timely way and effectively.

Originality/value

This is a preliminary study focussing on analysing inter-relationship between perceived importance of soft readiness factors and perceived importance of implementing success factors as a missing jigsaw in the current literature.

Improving high lean team performance through aligned behaviour-value patterns and coactive vicarious learning-by-doing

Purpose

Why are some lean workfloor teams able to improve their already high performance, over time, and others not? By studying teams' and leaders' behaviour-value patterns, this abductive field study uncovers a dynamic capability at the team level.

Design/methodology/approach

Various methods were employed over three consecutive years to thoroughly examine five initially high-performing lean workfloor teams, including their leaders. These methods encompassed micro-behavioural coding of 59 h of film footage, surveys, individual and group interviews, participant observation and archival data, involving objective and perceptual team-performance indicators. Two of the five teams continued to improve and perform highly.

Findings

Continuously improving high lean team performance is found to be associated with (1) team behaviours such as frequent performance monitoring, information sharing, peer support and process improvement; (2) team leaders who balance, over time, task- and relations-oriented behaviours; (3) higher-level leaders who keep offering the team face-to-face support, strategic clarity and tangible resources; (4) these three actors' endorsement of self-transcendence and openness-to-change work values and alignment, over time, with their behaviours; and (5) coactive vicarious learning-by-doing as a “stable collective activity pattern” among team, team leader, and higher-level leadership.

Originality/value

Since lean has been undertheorised, the authors invoked insights from organisational behaviour and management theories, in combination with various fine- and coarse-grained data, over time. The authors uncovered actors' behaviour-value patterns and a collective learning-by-doing pattern that may explain continuous lean team performance improvement. Four theory-enriching propositions were developed and visualised in a refined model which may already benefit lean practitioners.

Kaizen event process quality: towards a phase-based understanding of high-quality group problem-solving

Purpose

As a problem-solving tool, the kaizen event (KE) is underutilised in practice. Assuming this is due to a lack of group process quality during those events, the authors aimed to grasp what is needed during high-quality KE meetings. Guided by the phased approach for structured problem-solving, the authors built and explored a measure for enriching future KE research.

Design/methodology/approach

Six phases were used to code all verbal contributions (N = 5,442) in 21 diverse, videotaped KE meetings. Resembling state space grids, the authors visualised the course of each meeting with line graphs which were shown to ten individual kaizen experts as well as to the filmed kaizen groups.

Findings

From their reactions to the graphs the authors extracted high-quality KE process characteristics. At the end of each phase, that should be enacted sequentially, explicit group consensus appeared to be crucial. Some of the groups spent too little time on a group-shared understanding of the problem and its root causes. Surprisingly, the mixed-methods data suggested that small and infrequent deviations (“jumps”) to another phase might be necessary for a high-quality process. According to the newly developed quantitative process measure, when groups often jump from one phase to a distant, previous or next phase, this relates to low KE process quality.

Originality/value

A refined conceptual model and research agenda are offered for generating better solutions during KEs, and the authors urge examinations of the effects of well-crafted KE training.

Enhancing participation through organizational drivers

Purpose

This paper unifies previous research literature on employee participation in continuous improvement (CI) activities through the development and validation of a conceptual model. The purpose of this model is to illustrate how organizational drivers foster organizational and individual enablers which, in turn, strengthen employee participation in CI. The article also discusses the results and managerial implications.

Design/methodology/approach

Firstly, the article introduces the main variables affecting employee participation in CI, looking at the different possible relationships proposed in existing literature. In accordance with the Kaye and Anderson (1999) framework, these variables are categorized into organizational drivers, organizational and individual enablers and individual outcomes. Based on these categories, a model was put forward and empirically validated using data collected from three Spanish companies (n = 483) and using partial least squares structural equations modelling (PLS–SEM).

Findings

A model was put forward, proposing PIRK systems (power, information, rewards, knowledge) as the main organizational driver of employee participation in CI activities. PIRK impacts positively on social influence (organizational enabler), self-efficacy and job satisfaction (individual enablers). These enablers, together with employee intention of participating, help determine employee participation in CI activities.

Practical implications

Organizations with CI programmes should develop systems based on employee empowerment, information, rewards and knowledge in order to foster their self-efficacy and seek out a culture where social influence may help to improve job satisfaction. By suitably managing these organizational drivers, managers can help to further develop certain organizational and individual enablers responsible for fostering employee participation in CI activities.

Originality/value

By unifying different behavioural and CI-related frameworks, this paper carries out an in-depth study into the process of fostering employee participation as the key aspect in helping organizations sustain CI programmes. This paper shows the importance of managing PIRK organizational drivers as levers in the process of developing certain organizational and individual enablers, which are responsible for enhancing employee participation in CI.

What should you be talking about? The communication pathway to sustainable supply chain contagion

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand communication pathways and factors that cause sustainability initiatives to become contagious from downstream to upstream members of a supply chain, which is termed sustainable supply chain contagion (SSCC).

Design/methodology/approach

This study takes an inductive, grounded theory approach, while utilizing established theories.

Findings

The decision to implement a sustainability initiative depends on the business case for the organization. Importantly, the findings outline several network and communication factors that overcome the weak business case and, therefore, foster SSCC. Based on these findings, a communication network model of SSCC is outlined. Network factors include the contagion pathways, the role of sustainability and top management teams and communication channels. Communication factors include the alignment of sustainability initiatives with departmental objectives, the articulation of goals and assuring the endurance of a sustainability initiative.

Practical implications

Managers can utilize the proposed model to create conditions that strengthen the business case of a proposed sustainability initiative, thus fostering SSCC. The presented findings reveal different tactics that can assist organizations in communicating sustainability initiatives in a persuasive manner, to permit the proliferation of sustainability across the supply chain.

Originality/value

This research enables a multilevel examination of the factors influencing SSCC.

Lean practices and operational performance: the role of organizational culture

Purpose

There is a scarcity of research about cultural aspects of organization related to lean implementation. The purpose of this research is to investigate the effects of lean practices and organizational culture on the operational performance of small- and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on a survey conducted and data collected from 215 manufacturing SMEs in India. The hypothesized relationships are then analyzed with structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results showed that the constructs of lean practices and organizational culture have significant and direct effects on the operational performance of Indian manufacturing SMEs. Further, this research shows the mediating effect of organizational culture on sustaining lean processes within small-medium manufacturing business setups.

Research limitations/implications

Future research is required in a more diverse context to confirm the generalization of the results. Future research may be extended to investigate the effects of lean and organization cultural aspects on measures of financial, social and environmental performance.

Practical implications

The results obtained would help managers of manufacturing SMEs to better understand the linkage between lean and operational performance, considering the aspect of cultural change management in an organization. The outcome of this research provides useful indications of how organizations can work to sustain the philosophy of lean manufacturing within their workplace.

Originality/value

There is a lack of research at the critical intersection of organizational culture and sustainability of lean implementation. Culture is key to making changes required for lean implementation and in sustaining the drive toward lean production and management. This research is an attempt to fill that gap.

Key middle manager trustworthy behaviours that enhance operator participation in continuous improvement systems

Purpose

This paper aims to identify key middle manager trustworthy behaviours that encourage employees’ participation in continuous improvement activities in industrial contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

The list of behaviours has been developed in two different phases. First, the authors conducted two concept mappings with operators and middle managers and, subsequently, the authors combined and integrated both points of view. Second, the authors developed an expert panel with researchers, consultants and experienced practitioners of industrial management for debugging and reducing the results, presenting the final list of behaviours.

Findings

This work presents 55 different middle manager trustworthy behaviours divided into four different categories: human qualities; training and development; technical and managerial competencies; and team building.

Research limitations/implications

This paper contributes to existing literature about sustainable continuous improvement systems highlighting the role of middle managers and proposes a set of specific middle manager trustworthy behaviours for increasing supervisors’ influence on operator participation.

Originality/value

After extracting the knowledge of different stakeholders, the list of behaviours identified can serve as a useful tool for recruiting, training, evaluating and developing a supervisors’ managerial style that enhances operator participation in continuous improvement activities.

The dark side of social media connectivity

Purpose

The increasing use of social media after work hours for work purposes, termed social media connectivity (SMC), is an emerging phenomenon in supply chain management. Although SMC can have debilitating effects on supply chain professionals and their organizations, research on its effects on work-related attitudes, especially turnover intentions, remains largely unexplored. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of SMC on voluntary turnover of supply chain professionals and the resulting implications for them and their organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

The study draws from the conservation of resources theory and the concept of information overload to explain how SMC leads to emotional exhaustion and impacts turnover intentions of supply chain professionals, contingent on work–life balance. The model is tested using survey data (n=325) collected at multiple times from a large Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturer and distributor with spatially dispersed workforce and distribution facilities.

Findings

The results confirm that emotional exhaustion mediates the association between SMC and turnover intentions and that SMC exacerbates the intentions of supply chain professionals to quit their jobs. However, work–life balance is found to dampen the exhausting effects of SMC on emotional exhaustion thereby reducing its debilitating effects on turnover intentions of supply chain professionals.

Originality/value

The focus on SMC highlights the need for greater understanding of the dark side of social media on supply chain professionals and their organizations and how SMC can be better managed in an age of social media ubiquity.

Silo-Busting: Overcoming the Greatest Threat to Organizational Performance

Most organizations are set up to operate in some form of silos, such as vertical divisions or horizontal functions. At best, silos offer a practical way for organizations to operate efficiently. At worst, they create a silo mentality where departments do not want to exchange knowledge or information, hindering internal collaboration and organizational learning, thus preventing achievement of high performance and organizational sustainability. The silo mentality issue has been recognized for a long time as a real tangible problem that has to be dealt with. On the basis of a questionnaire containing statements on organizational strength, collaboration, and silo-busting techniques applied, which was distributed to a sample of mainly large companies, we found that there are five factors that are important for breaking down silos and increasing the quality of cooperation.

Understanding the main organisational antecedents of employee participation in continuous improvement

Purpose

Companies use continuous improvement (CI) as a strategy to achieve business excellence and innovation. Yet CI initiatives fail mostly due to a lack of employee engagement. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the CI literature and the technology acceptance model (TAM), a comprehensive model called continuous improvement acceptance mode (CIAM) was developed to understand the main organisational antecedents that predict employee intention to participate in CI. The CIAM is based on structural equation modelling using partial least squares and it was validated in a large manufacturing plant in Europe.

Findings

Emulating the findings of the TAM, this study shows that employee intention to participate can be predicted by two variables called ease of participating and usefulness of participating. The CIAM then relates these constructs with relevant CI enablers found in the CI literature.

Practical implications

The CIAM could help academics and practitioners to better understand employee participation in CI activities, allowing CI systems to be better designed and achieve long-term sustainability.

Originality/value

The CIAM presents new variables and interactions that help to understand employee participation in CI activities. Some of these variables and interactions have received scant attention in the CI literature and thus they are worth investigating in greater depth in the future.

A theoretical framework for the social pillar of lean

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a theoretical framework for the social pillar of lean (SPL), which is a neglected topic in the lean management literature.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors first identify shortcomings in research on the SPL that are attributable to neglect of relevant perspectives in organisational research. The authors then present a theoretical case outlining the factors that should be considered in SPL research, how they relate to one another and how they should be integrated in future studies of lean change implementation.

Findings

The theoretical framework for the SPL proposes a categorisation of factors and their relationships across levels of analysis that are relevant to the SPL. The inclusion of previously neglected perspectives, such as the relational coordination theory, within this framework offers new insights and directions for research.

Practical implications

By emphasising relationships, the SPL framework sheds light on the scale and complexity of the management challenges involved in lean implementation.

Originality/value

The proposed framework promises to enhance the efficacy of lean research by focussing on factors, such as relationships, that are most relevant to lean implementation.

V, R. R. Critical success factors of TQM, Six Sigma, Lean and Lean Six Sigma

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review the existing literature on the critical success factors (CSFs) of various continuous improvement (CI) like total quality management (TQM), Lean, Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma (LSS), and perform a content analysis (CA) leading to an agenda for future research.

Design/methodology/approach

CA is based on literature review of 41 papers published in peer-reviewed scholarly journals. A four-stage methodology is used by the authors, with Stage 1 featuring relevant material collection; Stage 2 presenting a descriptive analysis; Stage 3 outlining the category selection; and Stage 4 featuring the material evaluation using clustering and Pareto analysis.

Findings

The CA revealed various research implications and directions for the future. The number of studies in the literature regarding CSF assessment is found to be far from substantial while compared to CI implementation. Assessment methodologies developed have been ranging from qualitative to quantitative models. Key gaps were identified and directions for CSF assessment are proposed which requires further validation.

Research limitations/implications

Only articles that appeared in peer-reviewed journals were analyzed; conference papers, reports, manuals and white papers from practice were excluded. Another limitation of the paper would be the scope of CA limited to four CI constructs – TQM, Lean, Six Sigma and LSS. Research implications indicate that the future studies in this domain would be intensive toward analyzing the vital CSFs for enterprise organizational excellence and not merely process excellence.

Practical implications

This review study can serve as a resource for both researchers and practitioners to understand the importance of CSFs and positioning CSFs for the successful implementation of CI programs.

Originality/value

The CA on the existing literature on CSFs for CI presents a unique, systematic effort to identify an agenda for future research. This study is the apparently the first of its kind on CSF assessment.

Leadership styles and their relationship with TQM focus for Indian firms

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine leadership styles and their impact on TQM focus within Indian firms.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical data for this study were drawn from a survey of 111 firms in India to examine the validity and reliability of the independent constructs (leadership styles: transformational, servant, adaptive, rational and kinesthetic); and two dependent constructs (TQM focus: continuous improvement and innovation). The data were analyzed employing correlation and multiple regression analysis to identify the influence of leadership styles on TQM focus.

Findings

The results of the study revealed that six of the nine hypotheses have a significant and positive relationship with TQM focus; one hypothesis is partial while rest two hypotheses are not associated with TQM focus. It is also found that leadership styles are more inclined to continuous improvement and perceived as dominant TQM practices than innovation.

Research limitations/implications

This study used only two major variables, continuous improvement and innovation, as the outcome of TQM focus, but the outcomes are not limited. TQM focus is also related to other variables such as customer focus, product quality, employee involvement, benchmarking, etc. Future research should be extended by using other variables as the outcome of TQM focus.

Originality/value

The results can be beneficial for the current organization’s leaders to achieve appropriate leadership styles for effective and TQM focus. Moreover, this paper also attempts to inspire researchers to include the TQM focus in studying the effect of the leaders on TQM focus while implementing it effectively in the organizations.

Can continuous improvement lead to satisfied customers? Evidence from the services industry

Purpose

To achieve higher customer satisfaction (CS), companies implement continuous improvement (CI) programs, regardless of the growing evidence of their failure to achieve declared goals. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to identify whether companies are able to improve CS through the application of CI; and, second, to identify what organizational practices are able to facilitate the impact of CI on CS.

Design/methodology/approach

To test the developed assumptions, the study uses the structural equation modeling technique. The data for analysis were collected from 304 service companies via a custom web-survey.

Findings

The research confirms the direct positive impact of CI on CS. Further, the study demonstrates that management commitment and rewards system that encourages employees to participate in CI play the major facilitating role in improving CS through CI. These practices accompanied by quality-oriented culture and employee training in the improvement tools provide necessary infrastructure to sustain CI in the companies over time. Additionally, regardless of the vital role of goal setting for CI established in previous research, the proposed study finds a limited ability of goal setting, as compared to other organizational practices, to facilitate CI–CS relationship.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the scarce field of research on CI implementation in the services environment. Further, the research assesses CS as a variable of interest, as opposite to the previous studies, considering CS as a part of the composite variable. The research assesses the impact of the training in CI methodology on the CI–CS relationship, while previous research focuses on the general, work-related training. The findings provide an important basis for further academic work in the area of quality management. The identified practices can serve as guidance for managers, implementing CI in their companies due to the high fit of the proposed model.

Kaizen, a continuous improvement practice in organizations

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compare the practices of continuous improvement that are applied in medium and large manufacturing and service companies in two Latin American countries. At the same time, benefits and barriers experienced by these companies with regard to sustainability of continuous improvement are explored.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to generate a comparative study between two Latin American countries, interviews were conducted with managers linked to continuous improvement in medium and large companies in the State of Puebla and the Metropolitan District of Quito, which are important areas in Mexico and Ecuador, respectively. Data were collected by means of document analysis, semi-structured interviews, and direct observation.

Findings

Companies in both countries identify the use of various techniques and/or tools for continuous improvement. The results of the empirical evidence show how the impact of the application of the techniques has been beneficial in economic and human terms. Thus, the exploratory study has permitted the identification of the drivers and inhibitors in the maintenance of continuous improvement.

Research limitations/implications

The research is based on only two areas of the Latin American countries: Mexico and Ecuador. Their results can therefore not be generalized. The approach is applied in a specific environment, namely, the State of Puebla and the Metropolitan District of Quito. This study incorporates the perception of managers, directors, and/or supervisors involved in continuous improvement processes.

Practical implications

This paper seeks to provide analytical input. The study is of great interest to researchers, managers, consultants, and professionals linked to projects of continuous improvement who wish to incorporate continuous improvement practices which are sustainable over time. A new managerial behavior is the basis of continuous improvement, where the training and development of the human resource increases the commitment to achieve organizational changes.

Originality/value

This research makes an empirical contribution to the literature through the understanding of practices of continuous improvement in a Latin American context, highlighting the factors that improve or impede the process of continuous improvement. Particularly in Mexico and Ecuador, the empirical evidence on this subject is still scarce despite the existence of theoretical academic literature.

A quality system’s impact on the service experience

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the interplay between technical and social systems within an organization that potentially affect the service experience, as perceived by end customers.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper explores the potential impact of an integrated service quality system on the service experience. A conceptual model is presented, accompanied by a detailed development of the hypotheses. Two samples (Study 1: n=474, Study 2: n=225) of consumers are used to empirically test the proposed model.

Findings

The analysis reveals the impact a technical system has on employees’ inherent abilities (i.e. the social system), which, in turn, affect the overall assessment by customers. Additionally, the situation in which an employee works (i.e. operating environmental conditions) results in differences in the model.

Research limitations/implications

This paper’s main implication is this paper employs established theory to develop a model that is empirically tested to show that implementing and maintaining a quality-oriented service system can positively influence the overall customer experience. The limitations are based primarily on the methodology in which individual employees assessed all aspects of both the social and technical systems.

Practical implications

Managers should be diligent in their design and implementation of the quality components as these affect the work setting in which employees operate.

Originality/value

Prior research has neither explored an integrated service quality system’s impact on the service experience nor employed an established theoretical framework. This work accomplishes both with the results providing contributions to both theory and practice.

The role of employee empowerment in the implementation of continuous improvement

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand the role of increasing employees’ level of continuous improvement (CI) empowerment, i.e. employees’ knowledge and understanding of CI, the possibility of open communication and support from the work environment regarding CI, in the implementation of CI over time.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the theory of structural empowerment, the authors test the research question using evidence from a case study in a European financial services provider. Data are gathered with questionnaires on a team level and cover a period of 2.5 years including 780 participants.

Findings

The findings show that after conducting a CI programme in the case, there is a significant increase in employees’ CI empowerment over time, which has a positive but time-lagged relationship with the level of CI implementation.

Research limitations/implications

Implications are that CI empowerment can be created sustainably and is an important factor in establishing CI in a company, but that it takes time until empowerment leads to changes in behaviour. However, it has to be considered that these implications are solely derived from empirical results from a single company.

Practical implications

Financial service providers should invest in establishing CI empowerment and consider a delay in realising measurable benefits in terms of the level of CI implementation.

Originality/value

This paper is the first empirical study to examine the relationship between employee CI empowerment and the implementation of CI from a longitudinal perspective.

Implementation of lean manufacturing and situational leadership styles

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine leadership styles at each hierarchic level that best support the LM implementation process in a given company.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve that, the authors propose a method that combines information from two sources in three major steps. First, using opinions from experts on lean implementation from an activity sector of interest the authors determine leadership styles that best suit each phase of the LM roadmap for that sector. Next, the authors analyze a specific company within the activity sector to determine: at which lean roadmap phase the company is at the moment; and the style of its current leaderships at each hierarchical level. Finally, the authors combine information from previous steps to diagnose the suitability of company’s leaderships to its lean implementation needs.

Findings

The method points at improvement alternatives that may be developed simultaneously at different leadership hierarchical levels in companies. Further, using the matrix of ideal leadership styles, companies may be able to identify implementation phases in the lean process that are poorly served by current leadership styles, anticipating problems and developing HRM practices to mitigate them. That is quite relevant, since changes in leadership behaviors and expectations may take longer time to be implemented; therefore, it is important to understand these opportunities and have a clear vision of current gaps within the company.

Originality/value

The identification of leaderships’ attributes and behaviors in companies at different phases of the lean implementation roadmap contributes to the existing body of knowledge on lean manufacturing. The method is intended as a supporting tool for lean implementation, as it enables the assessment of gaps in leadership behaviors in the organization, and directs to improvements according to the phase of lean implementation. The goal is to complement existing lean roadmaps by driving improvements in leadership-related aspects of the implementation process.

Organisational learning in SMEs: a process improvement perspective

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how organisational learning (OL) can occur through process improvement (PI) activities, leading to sustained improvements over time in the context of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors study PI practices in six engineering-oriented SMEs via interview-based case studies. The authors draw from a range of literature and use an OL conceptual framework informed by Crossan et al.’s (1999) 4I framework as an analytical lens.

Findings

The OL perspective provides new insights to conceptualise the nature of PI as a multi-level practice in SMEs. Effective PI practices within SMEs are shown to be consistent with OL concepts, enabling firms to translate individually identified improvement opportunities into organisational-level changes that result in sustained benefits. A new conceptual model is presented that explains how SMEs can learn through improvement activities. The key role of management support, both operational and strategic, is highlighted. It is necessary for management to provide sufficient PI opportunities to enable and sustain beneficial learning.

Research limitations/implications

The study is based on a sample of engineering-oriented SMEs located in the UK. Further case-based, longitudinal, and survey-based research studies with firms of different types will enhance the generalisability of the findings, allowing the confirmation and extension of the new conceptual model.

Practical implications

The findings provide a theoretically underpinned framework for achieving OL in engineering-oriented SMEs through PI activities. The new model highlights the key mechanisms that enable learning from improvement activities. The findings highlight the key role played by management in introducing additional learning opportunities in the form of new business that requires exploratory learning. Without this, the reduction in improvement opportunities reduces the benefits that can be realised from PI.

Originality/value

OL provides a multi-level perspective to understanding how smaller firms are able to undergo systematic improvements and the support required to continually improve.

Relating management problem-solving styles of leaders to TQM focus: an empirical study

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a relationship between the leader’s management problem-solving styles (MPSS) and total quality management (TQM) focus.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on C.G. Jung’s (1923) four psychological functions or cognitive styles, which are involved in information gathering and evaluation by sensing, intuitive, thinking, and feeling. The combination of these psychological functions makes possible ways of results: sensing-thinking (ST), sensing-feeling (SF), intuitive-thinking (NT), and intuitive-feeling (NF) for management problem solving. The empirical data for this study were drawn from a survey of 111 firms in India. A one-way analysis of variance approach has been applied for analysis in this study.

Findings

The authors review the extant literature and present a conceptual framework to establish the relationship between different management problem-solving styles and TQM focus. The literature on TQM shows two distinct achievable results: continuous improvement and innovation. The findings of the study support all the hypotheses and the results show that leaders with ST and SF profile are comfortable with the continuous improvement while leaders with NT and NF profile focus on innovation in the organization.

Practical implications

The results of this study emphasize the importance of knowing the appropriate MPSS to TQM focus. The results will help leaders in continuous improvement and innovation to make proper decisions and smooth functions to achieve maximum performance.

Originality/value

This paper can be useful for the organizations to achieve more effective leadership in decision making and improve perception-information model as a leader’s cognitive style. Moreover, this paper also attempts to inspire researchers to include the cognitive styles in studying the effect of the leaders on TQM focus while implementing it effectively in the organizations.

A holistic framework to embed good company practice for customer retention

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to detail a holistic practice based guiding framework for improving customer retention, which helps companies instil a customer service culture through encouraging them to concentrate on the three key areas of culture, continuous improvement (CI) and customer service.

Design/methodology/approach

The Delphi technique, using three rounds of hour long in-depth semi-structured interviews at director level across a range of industries. This was done with nine directors, totalling over 30 hours of data requiring in excess of 200 hours to transcribe.

Findings

In order to achieve customer retention, a holistic company approach underpinned by senior management buy-in is critical, with open communication, employee empowerment, and employing “the right” personnel. The framework is viable with specific organisation input and supplementation with ongoing customer research.

Research limitations/implications

The framework has only been tested with the companies in the study, and requires testing in practice. As such, it has not covered the ability of companies to change, but has simply developed a framework to assist in identifying the areas that need to be reviewed when considering changing to focus on the customer.

Practical implications

To use this approach to customer retention requires companies to amalgamate culture, customer service and CI equally alongside customer focussed leadership, as an underpinning for the ethos of the business.

Originality/value

The Delphi technique in an in-depth systemised approach with directors revealed unanticipated and significant insights regarding the benefits of amalgamating and devoting equal weight to the three areas of culture, customer service and CI to improve quality in all these areas

Lean-team effectiveness through leader values and members’ informing

Purpose

Although empirical tests of effective lean-team leadership are scarce, leaders are often blamed when lean work-floor initiatives fail. In the present study, a lean-team leader’s work values are assumed to affect his or her team members’ behaviors and, through them, to attain team effectiveness. Specifically, two of Schwartz et al.’s (2012) values clusters (i.e. self-transcendence and conservation) are hypothesized to be linked to team members’ degree of information and idea sharing and, in turn, to lean-team effectiveness. The paper aims to report the examination of these hypotheses.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey responses (n=429) of both leaders and members of 25 lean-teams in services and manufacturing organizations were aggregated, thereby curbing common-source bias. To test the six hypotheses, structural equation modeling was performed, with bootstrapping, linear regression analyses, and Sobel tests.

Findings

The positive relationship between lean-team effectiveness and leaders’ self-transcendence values, and the negative relationship between lean-team effectiveness and leaders’ conservation values were partly mediated by information sharing behavior within the team.

Research limitations/implications

Future research must compare the content of effective lean-team values and behaviors to similar non-lean teams.

Practical implications

Appoint lean-team leaders with predominantly self-transcendence rather than conservation values: to promote work-floor sharing of information and lean-team effectiveness.

Originality/value

Human factors associated with effective lean-teams were examined, thereby importing organization-behavioral insights into the operations management literature: with HRM-type implications.

Investigating the readiness of people in manufacturing SMEs to embark on Lean Six Sigma projects

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to focus on three fundamental human-related behaviour factors associated with Lean Six Sigma (LSS) projects in German manufacturing small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on the readiness of people (managers and their staff) to commence LSS projects. These are core personal competence, strategic vision of the people and the organisational culture of the specific organisation.

Design/methodology/approach

– Based on a thorough review of the academic literature a set of hypotheses were constructed to examine the level of association between people’s competence, vision and culture with LSS readiness within SMEs. This was done using correlation and regression analysis. Data collection were carried out in seven different German manufacturing SMEs involved in aerospace supply and agro-food manufacturing using a survey instrument.

Findings

– It was found that there is a strong positive association between the core competence of people and organisational culture with readiness for commencing LSS in the manufacturing SMEs studied. The core values of people, education level and the vision of making continuous quality improvement were identified as key variables in promoting LSS readiness in these manufacturing SMEs. This study indicates that these “softer” variables can be essential to successful LSS implementation and need to be explored further before undertaking the process.

Practical implications

– From the perspective of the implementers of LSS the results of this research could be of interest to different manufacturing SMEs intending to embark upon an LSS journey as it highlights the significance of human-related behavioural factors in the process. SME organisations may consider carrying out development or training with their managers and employees around personal and organisational values, addressing core competence and strengthening organisational culture in order to facilitate LSS readiness and enhance the prospect of its success.

Originality/value

– It would appear that this LSS research has not been carried out within the German manufacturing SME context before and although discrete in nature has surfaced the “softer” variables of core competence of staff and organisational culture as important readiness issues to address when undertaking LSS. This integrated approach of human behavioural factors, organisational culture, LSS and manufacturing SMEs demonstrates the originality of the research.

Determinants of quality and efficiency performance in service operations

Purpose

– Using arguments from the knowledge-based view and resource-based view of the firm, the purpose of this paper is to propose that external knowledge (as measured by a firm’s customer orientation) and internal knowledge management (through human capital development techniques of job-related training and enhancing employee capability) together contribute to successful service delivery systems.

Design/methodology/approach

– The hypothesized model is tested on a large sample of 249 Chinese service firms using structural equation modeling and hierarchical regression analyses.

Findings

– The results indicate that the knowledge management factors of customer orientation, employee capability and job-related training had a varying influence on quality and efficiency dimensions of service system performance. Also, internal knowledge facets of employee capability and job-related training had complementary effects in inducing improved performance on both quality and efficiency.

Research limitations/implications

– The focus on the key enablers of customer orientation, employee capability and job-related training does not represent a comprehensive set of enablers of service system performance outcomes. Also, a longitudinal examination of capabilities that influence service system performance can also be explored.

Originality/value

– The context of service firms in multiple sectors serves as an important contribution to the emerging literature that bridges human resource management and customer orientation in service settings. Implications of the results for practice and theory development are discussed.