Project management infrastructure: The key to operational performance improvement

Process improvement programs such as Six Sigma, Lean, and Lean Sigma are very important and deserve serious academic research attention. However, definition problems make it difficult to study any specific type of process improvement program. Therefore, this study defines two organizational level program management factors, Strategic Project Selection (SPS) and Project Management Infrastructure (PMI), that are independent of any specific process improvement program. Drawing upon current literature, this study develops and tests theoretical models that relate SPS and PMI to operational performance improvement and to each other. Using empirical data collected from 53 supplier plants of one large high-tech firm, this study finds that at the plant level, SPS mediates the relationship between PMI and operational performance improvement. This insight contributes to both theory development and practice, suggesting that a viable strategy for a process improvement program’s success is to focus on PMI in order to enhance SPS and ultimately improve performance. Not to be reproduced or quoted without written permission from the authors.     

Improving operational performance by influencing shopfloor behavior via performance management practices

It is generally believed that companies applying performance management practices outperform those that do not measure and manage their performance. Studies examining the link between performance management and performance improvement implicitly assume that performance management affects behavior of individuals in an organization, which then facilitates the achievement of organizational goals. This study takes a step towards understanding this implicit assumption. We investigate how performance management practices relate to improvement in performance by influencing behavior of individuals. We focus on operational performance management, i.e. the definition and use of performance measures on the shopfloor in production and distribution. We use a survey among 102 companies to identify the relations between performance management practices, shopfloor behavior and improvement in performance. We identified three independent clusters of operator behavior that positively correlate with performance improvement: “Understanding”, “Motivation” and “Focus on Improvement”. We show that 17 out of the 20 performance management practices found in literature have a significant and positive relation with one or more clusters of operator behavior. We furthermore found that there is a positive correlation between the number of performance management practices applied and performance improvement, suggesting that it is not only which practices are applied but also how many. Recommendations emerging from this study enable managers to identify which behavioral changes are desired to improve performance and to select those performance management practices that positively influence the desired behavior.     

精益六西格玛应用实例

现今,精益六西格玛管理方法已被越来越多的企业所用,它所能够创造的价值也被更多的企业所认知。文章通过具体的实例对精益六西格玛在企业的应用进行总结,并就如何做好持续改进进行有益的探索。     

Implementing Lean in aerospace—challenging the assumptions and understanding the challenges

Lean manufacturing appears to hold considerable promise for addressing a range of simultaneous, competitive demands including high levels of process and product quality, low cost and reductions in lead times. These requirements have been recognised within the aerospace sector and efforts are now well established to implement Lean practices. Lean manufacturing was initiated within the automotive sector. However, since the publication of the influential book, The Machine That Changed the World (Womack et al., 1990) there has been a range of documented cases of Lean implementation in a variety of sectors. Despite this evidence, the perception remains that Lean manufacturing is to some degree, an ‘automotive idea’ and difficult to transfer to other sectors especially when there are major differences between them. In this paper we discuss the key drivers for Lean in aerospace and examine the assumption that cross-sector transfer may be difficult. A Lean implementation case comparison examines how difficulties that arise may have more to do with individual plant context and management than with sector specific factors.     

Lean management as a countermeasure for “Normal” disruptions

The academic and practitioner literature offer numerous examples of firms that have achieved significant performance improvement as a result of implementing lean management. Lean firms consistently apply well-defined tools and the relationship between implementation of these tools and improved performance is well-established in the literature. Many lean practices, such as standardized work and visual cues, reduce variability, increase productivity, and make problems more visible which can create a culture where disruptions occur less often. Although there is evidence that lean implementation leads to reduced disruptions, a question that remains unresolved is why these lean management tools lead to fewer disruptions and whether conditions such as the level of complexity and inventory in the system predict the successful application of these lean practices. Because many of the firms that adopt lean management can be characterized as complex work systems, we draw insights from literature on complex organizations operating in environments that are inherently perilous. Two constructs that are addressed in this literature are fundamental to the concept of lean management – interactive complexity and tight coupling or organizational slack. We argue that theory that applies to complex organizations provides a lens for viewing how lean management firms avoid disruptions and conclude that the theoretical basis for lean management lies in understanding how to overcome the complexity inherent in these systems to achieve disruption-free performance.     

Expanding the concept of fit in strategic human resource management: An examination of the relationship between human resource practices and charismatic leadership on organizational outcomes

We investigate the relationship between high‐commitment human resources (HCHR) practices and chief executive officer (CEO) charismatic leadership on voluntary employee turnover and relative performance to peers in a sample of 281 small firms. In this study, we expand upon prior conceptualizations of fit within the literature on strategic human resources (HR) to include the fit of HCHR with other aspects of the people management system. Specifically, we hypothesize a variety of relationships that may occur (e.g., positive synergistic, deadly combination, or substitution) and find that when a firm uses a system of HCHR practices and has a charismatic leader, performance is highest and turnover lowest. Conversely, when a firm does not invest in either, performance is lowest and turnover highest. We also found some support for a substitution effect as our data showed that when there is a mismatch between a firm's HR system and the leadership characteristics of the CEO, turnover is higher and performance lower than the high‐investment people management system (high HCHR and high‐charismatic leadership), but turnover is lower and performance higher than the low‐investment (low HCHR and low‐charismatic leadership) people management system.     

探讨绳索取芯钻具的加工工艺改进

为了保障在进行煤田的地质勘探当中的安全性和稳定性需求,要求不断的改进绳索取芯钻具的有关工艺。主要从材料、加工程序等方面进行改进,以最大限度的提高其使用寿命,保障其强度达到有关要求。以下主要针对其技术性能、改进方式等进行了分析。     

Analysis of the effect of risk management practices on the performance of new product development programs

Risk management is receiving much attention, as it is seen as a method to improve cost, schedule, and technical performance of new product development programs. However, there is a lack of empirical research that investigates the effective integration of specific risk management practices proposed by various standards with new product development programs and their association with various dimensions of risk management success. Based on a survey of 291 product development programs, this paper investigates the association of risk management practices with five categories of product development program performance: (A) Quality Decision Making; (B) High Program Stability; (C) Open, problem solving organization; (D) Overall new product development project success; and (E) overall product success. The results show that six categories of risk management practices are most effective: (1) Develop risk management skills and resources; (2) Tailor risk management to and integrate it with new product development; (3) Quantify impacts of risks on your main objectives; (4) Support all critical decisions with risk management results; (5) Monitor and review your risks, risk mitigation actions, and risk management process; and (6) Create transparency regarding new product development risks. The data shows that the risk management practices are directly associated with outcome measures in the first three categories (improved decision making, program stability and problem solving). There is also evidence that the risk management practices indirectly associate with the remaining two categories of outcome measures (project and product success). Additional research is needed to describe the exact mechanisms through which risk management practices influence NPD program success.     

质量管理实践的实证研究

在相关文献分析的基础上,通过对质量管理实践和企业绩效的界定,利用对苏州、南京和徐州三地企业的调查资料,探究质量管理实践对企业绩效的影响,并对一些学者的研究结果进行验证。结果显示,质量培训、流程管理、顾客关系等9项质量管理实践对企业绩效有显著影响,不支持管理者承诺对企业绩效有显著影响的观点。     

The role of organizational culture and HRM on training success: evidence from the Canarian restaurant industry

This research aims to analyse the influence of organizational culture and human resources management (HRM) practices on the success of training at restaurants. Effective training is especially important for modern restaurants that aim to gain competitive advantage by means of good quality service and performance of their employees. To achieve this objective, an empirical study was conducted on 137 restaurants in the Canary Islands. Results show that organizational culture does not influence the success of the training programmes unless HRM practices that support the training process are implemented. Specifically, the study reveals the full mediating role of HRM practices between a continuous learning culture and effective training.     

“5S”管理——精益生产的基石

随着全球经济的走低,提升企业竞争力、加速转型成为企业生存的关键,精益生产作为企业加强管理的重要手段被广泛应用。5S管理为强化现场管理提供了重要支撑,为精益生产、持续化改进夯实基础。     

Informal thinkering — how is it important?: Case studies of technical change processes: an industrialized–industrializing country comparison

This paper examines innovation processes or technical change-generation processes at the firm level. It emphasizes the notion that the element of technical and technological change that is a determinant of productivity growth is strongly induced by internal factors related to the firm's behavior, via investment in R&D but also, and importantly, on the basis of “informal thinkering” within plants.This research is unique in that it seeks first, to examine the pattern of technical change and its ensuing productivity growth, and second, to make a comparison between an industrialized and an industrializing country. This comparison is conducted by empirically comparing mills in the pulp and paper manufacturing sector in two countries: Canada and India. The overall analysis is based on direct observations at the mill level, face-to-face interviews and on analysis of mill documentary records.This paper highlights the importance of managing change as a continuous process. The introduction of intermittent, “step-jump” technical changes contributed little to explain the differences in performance between the mills. Much more important are (i) the continuing sequences of smaller investments in technical change, often linked to the larger step-jumps, and (ii) the existence of steady streams of changes and improvements that are unrecorded as capital expenditure.     

论政府绩效管理与绩效审计

通过对我国政府绩效管理框架的描述以及政府绩效管理体系下政府行为对审计目标、审计范围和审计质量等方面的影响分析得出:政府绩效管理与绩效审计之间存在密切联系,且这种联系是多向的、混合的,有时甚至还是负向的。为此,针对我国绩效管理方式、政府行为给绩效审计造成的不利影响,提出改进我国绩效审计的若干政策建议。     

The influence of internal and external social networks on HRM capabilities in MNC subsidiaries in China

In this study we examine the influence of involvement in internal and external social networks on HRM capabilities. We distinguish between technical and strategic HRM capabilities and focus on the capabilities of the HR department relating to four HRM practices – recruitment and selection, training and development, compensation, and performance appraisal. The study is based on data from dual respondents, general managers and HR managers, in 66 European MNC subsidiaries located in China. The results indicate that contact with other MNCs in China regarding HRM issues is positively associated with both technical and strategic HRM capabilities whereas contact with local Chinese companies does not have any significant influence on either strategic or technical HRM capabilities. Contact with MNC headquarters is positively associated with strategic HRM capabilities.     

对工程机械设备现场管理的几点对策

随着工程施工机械化程度的不断提高,工程机械成为施工企业的重要生产力。然而,工程机械在使用过程中,受到各种因素的影响,制约着工程机械使用性能的发挥。为此,笔者根据工作实践,就工程机械的管理现状及现场管理的有效途径,提出自己的见解。     

精准建造中以质量为驱动的项目绩效持续度量体系

项目绩效度量是建设工程项目精准建造管理体系中不可或缺的组成部分,目前采用的以赢得值(EV)和计划任务完成率(PPC)尚不足以满足大型复杂建设工程绩效管理的需要,亟待进一步的系统化完善。本文紧紧围绕建设项目精准建造理念,从绩效度量的概念与本质出发,根据复杂建设工程项目绩效度量的需求特征,以质量本体论为核心,描述了以质量为驱动的项目绩效度量体系的构建过程,系统介绍了以质量为驱动的项目绩效度量体系中各要素的数据处理模型,为进一步构建以质量为驱动的项目绩效管理系统奠定了基础。     

Customer-facing supply chain practices—The impact of demand and distribution management on supply chain success

Traditionally, distribution has been viewed as the key (physical) link between a company's internal supply chain activities and its customers. More recently, demand management has emerged as a new dimension at the customer interface. Although it has become increasing popular in industry, it has not yet been analyzed in depth with respect to its impact on supply chain performance. Both distribution management and demand management entail customer-facing processes and practices and that are interrelated and (may) jointly determine supply chain performance. In this paper we seek to extend the stream of research in supply chain management by systematically investigating the impact of customer-facing supply chain practices on supply chain performance. Specifically, the paper examines the relative impact of relevant practices associated with demand and distribution management. To this end, we collected data from 116 multi-national companies based in Europe and analyzed it using structural equation modeling techniques. Our results suggest that (i) high demand management performance has a substantial positive impact on the overall supply chain performance, (ii) this effect is stronger than that of distribution management performance, and (iii) there is no evidence that demand management might be an enabler for effective distribution management. Among the individual practices that constitute demand and distribution management, adherence to the demand and distribution management processes and demand segmentation emerged as the strongest performance levers. Based upon additional in-depth interviews conducted with selected companies from our sample, we shed light on some of the most important findings that emerged from our survey analysis.     

New Public Management

The paper presents an assessment and evaluation of what is termed ‘new public management’ at the end of the 1990s. In order to provide this assessment, new public management is defined in several ways: as a movement, as an academic commentary, and as reformed organizational practice in the public sector. The paper uses the UK health sector to examine some of the assumed relationships between ideology, actions and consequences implied within a broad understanding of new public management. Developments in the UK health sector are used to address assumptions focusing on different aspects of the ideology (private sector practices and markets can increase efficiency in the public sector), actions (introduction of market mechanisms and business-like, practices) and consequences (operational performance, strategic direction, governance and values). Drawing on developments in the UK health sector, an assessment of new public management at the end of the 1990s sees it much diversified and expanded from original conceptions, which are ensuring its contested survival as a movement, as an academic commentary, and as reformed organizational practice in the UK despite a change of government in 1997.     

Human resource practices and discrimination in South Africa: overcoming the apartheid legacy

While there is some level of isomorphism and convergence in HRM practices, country-specific differences remain, notwithstanding globalization and the influence of increasingly powerful multinationals. Much work has occurred on diversity management and cultural aspects of management in South Africa (SA). This analysis finds that local institutional context in labour relations and particularism in practices remain important, although the influence of convergent forces such as globalization, information technology and increased competition has become much more prominent in post-apartheid SA. Human resource practitioners in SA see the most important workplace challenges as performance improvement, employment equity, training and development and managing trade union expectations. This article critically evaluates the effects of recent legislative measures, particularly labour court and arbitration awards aimed at addressing the adverse impact of past unfair discrimination on pay practices and skills development. The latter are found to be interrelated, sensitive and difficult areas of discrimination in respect of legal proof.