Continuous innovation and performance measurement methods and tools have been applied in companies as a means to develop improvement actions related to strategic objectives and to monitor results so as to give feedback for further action. However, continuous innovation and performance measurement methods and tools can also be applied to manage performance of a cluster of firms. After a brief review of continuous innovation and the concept of collective efficiency of a cluster, this paper presents a conceptual model for managing actions for improving collective efficiency and measuring performance of an SME cluster. A research case is reported, for which the conceptual model has been applied and results discussed. The paper concludes that despite some difficulties in developing and using performance indicators in SMEs, the concepts presented by the proposed model can help to foster cooperation and maturity in continuous innovation in clusters of SMEs.

Purpose Performance measurement systems (PMSs) have long been used for monitoring and improving administrative performance. In parallel, organizational ambidexterity refers to firms that manage different organizational functions and various demands to generate performance. The purpose of this paper is to propose that three dimensions of PMS increase organizational ambidexterity and consequently they influence organizational performance. In this framework, organizational ambidexterity mediates the relationships between three dimensions of PMS and organizational performance. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected through a structured questionnaire sent to Brazilian software companies. Owners, directors, project managers and responsible for company strategy answered the questionnaire. The final sample was 227 Brazilian software firms that answered according to their PMSs and organizational ambidexterity. Findings The results provide four main findings. First, the three dimensions of PMS, namely—attention focus, legitimization and strategic decision-making—influenced organizational ambidexterity. Second, organizational ambidexterity had a major effect on organizational performance. Third, organizational ambidexterity mediated the indirect effects of attention focus, legitimization and strategic decision-making on organizational performance. Fourth, exploration and exploitation—two dimensions of organizational ambidexterity—mediated the indirect effect of the abovementioned PMS dimensions on organizational performance. Research limitations/implications Although there are different dimensions of organizational ambidexterity, this paper is limited to two of the most used ones: exploitation and exploration. In addition, the results were limited to subjective—in contrast to objective—performance measures. Practical implications Software companies can use PMS for attention focus, legitimization of firm’s choices and strategic decision-making to increase their exploration and exploitation capabilities. Moreover, software companies can use strategic decision-making to control existing strategies and establish new strategies for legitimizing ambidextrous choices and thereby support their decision-making process. Originality/value The data showed that not only organizational ambidexterity mediates the effects of the three dimensions of PMS use on performance, but also exploration and exploitation.

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Purpose -The purpose of this article is to present and discuss a conceptual model for performance measurement and management of a cluster based on the concepts of the Balanced Scorecard and other models. Design/methodology/approach -This paper was based on a case research as the field research methodology for theory testing and refinement. Findings -The proposed model adequately captures the perspectives of performance management of a cluster, emphasizing the importance of measuring leading and lagging dimensions of performance such as collective efficiency and economic/social results. Research limitations/implications -Research is still at an early stage and applications of the model need to be carry on further so as to review and validate it. Practical limitations -Absence of a culture of decision making based on analysis of information and lack of resources may create some difficulty in using metrics for a cluster of SMEs. Originality/value -The paper proposes applying the concepts and techniques of business performance management and measurement to manage performance of clusters of companies, offering a new approach on how to improve the collective efficiency of a cluster.

Os Arranjos Produtivos Locais (APLs) são sistemas que podem ser utilizados para promover a cooperação empresarial, a inovação contínua e o desenvolvimento sustentável das Pequenas e Médias Empresas (PMEs). O processo de gestão de desempenho do APL é construído a partir do planejamento estratégico e com a implantação de ações coletivas de melhoria contínua. Também é necessário construir uma infraestrutura local e um ambiente que estimule a confiança e a cooperação dos membros do APL. A avaliação de desempenho é uma prática que fortalecerá a coordenação e execução das atividades de melhoria contínua do APL. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho é propor um Sistema de Medição do Desempenho (SMD) que dê suporte ao processo de gestão de desempenho do APL. A proposta foi construída a partir das pesquisas de campo realizadas nos APLs de Ibitinga e Jaú. Os resultados demonstram que a medição de desempenho integrada a um processo sistemático de melhoria contínua promove a gestão colaborativa, aprimora o processo de tomada de decisão ou coordenação das ações planejadas pelas instituições, empresas e outros órgãos que fazem parte dos APLs. É um instrumento que pode ajudar a monitorar o desempenho das PMEs inseridas em uma rede de cooperação empresarial e direcionar as iniciativas coletivas ou ações de melhoria para as principais necessidades do APL.

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RESUMOO objetivo deste estudo é analisar a eficiência técnica hospitalar das regiões do Brasil, nos anos de 2014 e 2015, visto a importância dessas organizações para o meio social e econômico. Para tanto, por meio de uma pesquisa descritiva, exploratória, documental e quantitativa, foi utilizada a Análise Envoltória de Dados (DEA), modelo CCR, orientada para output, utilizando-se o número de leitos e de médicos e enfermeiros como input e para output o número de pacientes internados e número de óbitos hospitalares. Além disso, buscou-se verificar a relação entre a eficiência técnica hospitalar com as despesas empenhadas com assistência hospitalar, por meio de uma correlação. Os achados apontaram que a região Norte teve a média mais ineficiente comparada com as demais, sendo que nenhum estado da região alcançou score 1 nos anos analisados. Já as regiões consideradas mais eficientes em relação às demais foram a Sul e em segundo lugar a Sudeste, em ambos os anos, 2014 e 2015. Ademais, denota-se que, dentre os estados eficientes, apenas dois foram eficientes nos dois anos analisados, Rio de Janeiro e Rio Grande do Sul. E, quanto à correlação, concluiu-se que não há uma relação estatisticamente significativa entre as despesas empenhadas e a eficiência técnica hospitalar.Palavras-chave: Eficiência hospitalar; Análise envoltória de dados (DEA); Regiões brasileiras. HOSPITAL EFFICIENCY OF THE BRAZILIAN REGIONS: A STUDY USING THE DATA ENVELOPMENT ANALYSIS (DEA) ABSTRACTThe aim of this study is to analyze the hospital technical efficiency in the regions of Brazil, in the years 2014 and 2015, considering the importance of these organizations to the social and economic environment. To do so, through a descriptive, exploratory, documentary and quantitative research, a Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), CCR model, was used, output-oriented, using the number of beds and of doctors and nurses as an input and the number of hospitalized patients and number of hospital deaths as output. In addition, we sought to verify the relationship between hospital technical efficiency and hospital care expenses, by way of a correlation. The present research is characterized as descriptive, exploratory, documentary and quantitative. The findings indicate that the northern region had the most inefficient average compared to the others, and no State in the region reached a score of 1 in the analyzed years. The regions considered more efficient in relation to the others were in the South and secondly in the Southeast, in both years, 2014 and 2015. Furthermore, two states remained efficient during the analyzed years, Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Sul. As for the correlation, it was concluded that there is no significant relationship between the committed expenses and the hospital technical efficiency.

Experimentos industriais são realizados pelas empresas com o intuito de melhorar o desempenho dos produtos e os processos de fabricação. Nesse sentido, este trabalho tem por objetivo estudar e aplicar as técnicas de planejamento e análise de experimentos na melhoria da qualidade industrial. Especificamente são aplicadas as técnicas de planejamento Fatorial Fracionado 2k-p, Metodologia de Superfície de Resposta e Análise de Variância, em um processo de moldagem por injeção plástica. Com essa pesquisa experimental foi possível identificar os níveis ótimos de regulagem e os parâmetros mais importantes da injeção plástica: temperatura da máquina e pressão de injeção. Para finalizar é avaliado o procedimento de implementação das técnicas de experimentação e as dificuldades práticas encontradas na empresa.