The purpose of the study was to investigate employee perceptions during a lean transformation 1 . The combination of case study and survey methodologies was used to define elements influencing the perceived lean success of shop floor employees. According to our findings, belief, commitment, work method and communication all have a considerable direct impact on workers' perceptions of lean success. However, their effects are very different based on the scope and focus of changes that is influenced by process characteristics. Perceptions regarding successful lean transformation during a moderate reorganisation of the company's welding plant, where mainly males work, are affected only by commitment and work method, whereas the deep reorganisation of the sewing plant (populated by female employees) is only influenced by belief and communication.Keywords: lean transformation; worker perceptions; gender; work environment 1 The contribution of the authors is 60%/35%/5%, respectively. 3 1.Introduction The fierce competition in the automotive industry forces companies at all levels of the supply chain to seek more effective operations. Recent decades have proven with certainty that the best "path" to pursue is Toyota's lean strategy. Lean production, first described in detail by Womack, Jones and Roos (1990) in their revolutionary book, "The Machine that Changed the World", has its roots in the Toyota Production System (TPS) (Ohno, 1988). Today, lean manufacturing is a complex system that extends throughout a company and beyond its borders (Hines et al., 2004;Matsui, 2007; Warnecke and Hüser, 1995;Womack and Jones, 2003). Lean production is standard in the global automotive industry and is gaining ground in other manufacturing sectors (Abdulmalek and Rajgopal, 2007;Panizzolo, 1998) and even service industries (Womack and Jones, 2003).Achieving lean production is a long and practically constant process during which the participants must continuously manage (Karlsson and Ahlström, 1996) and undergo changes. Its implementation is accompanied by radical changes from the beginning. These changes have a remarkable impact on performance (e.g., lead time, quality) and also substantially affect stakeholders (e.g., managers, workers) (Womack et al., 1990). Assessments of the success of change processes (i.e., lean implementation) are usually restricted to measuring operational and financial performance. What employees actually perceive, think and feel about lean implementation, the human aspect, has received less attention.In this paper, we explore 'soft' building blocks (e.g., commitment, belief) of successful lean implementation on the shop floor level. To determine how things happen in real company settings and to provide a genuine explanation of contingency factors, decisions and behaviors, we used a combined methodology including a case study and a survey at a Hungarian-owned automotive parts supplier. Our objective is to determine which factors make workers feel that lean transformation was successful in order to r...
Purpose The purpose of this paper to examine the impact of shop floor (SF) culture (organizational culture (OC) perceived by workers) and SF subcultures assessed by the competing values framework (CVF) on the perceived use of lean production (LP) practices. Design/methodology/approach The authors analyse questionnaires completed by workers at the single case company undergoing a commonplace lean transformation. The survey items cover both LP items and CVF statements. The propositions are analysed applying cluster analysis and regression. Findings At the case company, the multidimensionality of SF culture only partially exists, and the perceived use of LP practices shows little connection to OC. The considerable differences between SF culture and SF subcultures on the one hand and among SF subcultures on the other hand indicate the existence of a special multidimensional SF culture. Altogether, SF culture’s impact on LP is weak. Practical implications Managers should rethink the usual lean implementation pathways and understand how values pervade SF culture and how culture types impact the perceived use of LP practices at the SF. Managers could face a trade-off: smoother lean transition by engaging in SF subculture-specific transitions and reinforcing it or by developing a homogenous lean SF culture. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first empirical attempt to understand the impact of SF culture on the perceived use of LP practices by adopting a validated OC measurement tool. Furthermore, the study provides insight into workers’ subcultures.
PurposeDespite geographical proximity, major economic differences exist between Western European countries and the formerly socialist Eastern European countries. The main objective of this study is to develop a better understanding of internationalization decision processes in this specific context.Design/methodology/approachBy means of multiple case study research, six Austrian and five Hungarian companies in order to extend and refine existing theory on internationalization decisions given the current situation in Central Europe are analyzed. In particular, the paper uses extant literature to build a conceptual framework from which we derive propositions as a basis and a guide for data collection and analysis.FindingsIn addition to cost considerations, process and product innovations are becoming increasingly important dimensions in explaining the reasons for internationalization projects. The reasons for internalization and solutions (relocated products and processes, entry mode and location) are closely interrelated.Originality/valueAlthough this framework for the internationalization decision process is applied in a very specific context, the authors believe that the framework can also be very helpful in understanding these decision processes in a more general setting. In particular, companies in other regions where developed and emerging countries are relatively close to one another might be able to utilize our framework and results (in Asia or America).
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