Purpose Lean manufacturing (LM) constitutes a consolidated alternative that has been successfully used to increase company effectiveness and performance. However, different studies have shown that many companies that attempt to integrate LM into their manufacturing operations fail in their efforts. Recent studies have shown that soft practices are a key factor for a successful LM implementation. The purpose of this paper is to analyze an in-depth review of the different human-related lean practices (HRLP) referenced in the recent literature and to identify which of them are more relevant to a successful LM implementation. Design/methodology/approach The findings presented in this paper are based on the results of a study about the situation of LM in Spain carried out with lean production managers and frontline supervisors of 202 Spanish companies with a high percent (74 percent) of international firms with factories in different countries. The implemented methodology uses factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Findings The results shows statistical evidence of the relationship between management’s HRLP (fostering a lean culture, providing support to lean), employees’ HRLP (employee involvement and employee empowerment) and operational performance (OP) (waste reduction and flexibility). Practical implications The results have academic and practical relevance for clarifying lean phenomena, helping managers to define a sequence in which a company should implement HRLP to successfully implement LM and increase its OP. Originality/value This study fills a research gap by exploring the existing causal relationships between a greater number of variables, both dependent and independent in relation to human factors in LM implementations.

No abstract

En este trabajo se propone un método integrado para la estimación de la competitividad de fabricación de las empresas utilizando su rendimiento comparativo en sus objetivos de fabricación. El método desarrollado utiliza un extenso análisis de la literatura, junto con un análisis de expertos a través del método Delphi para identificar los factores que influyen en la competitividad de la industria bajo estudio. Diferentes coeficientes estadísticos tales como el alfa de Cronbach, W de Kendall, kappa de Fleiss y la correlación intraclase se utilizan para asegurar la fiabilidad de los instrumentos y de la opinión de los expertos. El análisis exploratorio de factores (EFA por sus siglas en inglés) y un posterior análisis factorial confirmatorio (CFA por sus siglas en inglés) se utilizan como el medio para obtener el modelo de medición con el que se calcula un indicador de la competitividad de fabricación. Un caso de estudio empírico utilizando el método propuesto se lleva a cabo en una muestra de plantas maquiladora de ropa.

No abstract

No abstract

Nowadays global collaborative environments in the corporate world require engineers with professional global competences. In response to such need, different active-learning initiatives have been introduced in academia to prepare engineering students with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitude to be competitive in the global market. Consequently, multinational design projects have been used by the authors as means of introducing professional global skills to engineering students while exposing them to a project-based learning experience. This educational activity faces many challenges including cultural and academic background differences, language and time zone barriers, and issues with communication tools among others. Therefore, this activity is expected to motivate students so they can start developing the professional skills that will help them to overcome difficulties and to carry out the project successfully. This work studies the motivation of students before and after participating in a multinational design project and makes a comparison of this parameter's results based on the effect of gender. To accomplish this objective, the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) was adapted to the multinational experience and administered to the participating students. For this study, three motivation constructs are taken into consideration: (a) interest/enjoyment, (b) perception of choice, and (c) perceived competence. Results are discussed based on the research questions posted for this work, and some reflections based on the results are presented

Multinational teams working in engineering solutions are becoming a common practice in many industries around the world because companies are interested in capitalizing on human resources dispersed globally. This practice has increased significantly due to advancements in information and communication technologies (ICT). The effectiveness of those geographically dispersed teams has been a topic of interest for the authors of this paper particularly the interaction among the team members since the literature recognizes that teams achieve better results when the interaction is strong and the social level of interaction is significant; additionally, that the working environment is more conducive to a positive experience when social interaction is built. This paper presents a description of the findings based on the data collected in a study done on the interaction of teams in a multinational collaborative design project carried out by students from six different countries dispersed in the US, Latin America and Europe. The main objective of this study is to use an assessment tool to evaluate the interaction among the students focusing in its nature, preferred communication tools and perceived value, with a special interest in the observed differences based on cultural backgrounds due to geographical location

In today's world, it has become very common to find engineers working on multinational projects. As a result, educational institutions need to prepare students to succeed in this global working environment by incorporating global collaborative projects as a learning experience. At the same time, students should be aware of the importance of this experience, recognize its benefit, and be motivated to participate on the projects. It is documented in the literature that students' interest and motivation are important factors contributing to the learning process in any discipline, and of particular importance when students are exposed to a projectbased educational experience in a collaborative and multinational context. Authors have used the multinational collaborative projects to prepare students with global competencies but no formal assessment of the impact of this experience has been done. As part of a formal evaluation of this experience, the main goal of this study is to determine the level of interest and perception of value of engineering students participating in a multinational collaborative project, and make a comparison of such indicators based on gender. For this purpose, a survey based on the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) was given to students before starting their participation in the multinational projects. The data collected provides information in five constructs which are: interest, perceived competence, pressure, perceived choice, and value. These constructs provide a perception about students' interests, beliefs, and feelings about the international project that reflect their level of motivation to carry on the tasks.