Behind the Learning Curve: Linking Learning Activities to Waste Reduction

Lapré, Michael A.; Mukherjee, Amit Shankar; Wassenhove, Luk N. Van

doi:10.1287/mnsc.46.5.597.12049

Cited by 303 publications

(222 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…We note that the above specification follows a long line of research in cardiac risk stratification that link patient risk variables to outcomes using a logistic regression (see also, Parsonnet, Dean and Bernstein 1989;Higgins et al 1992; Nashef et al 3 We use counts of our experience variables, rather than their logs for two reasons. First, the log-linear learning curve model is derived from theory, and supported empirically while the log-log learning curve model is just from empirical results (Levy 1965;Lapré, Mukherjee and Wassenhove 2000). Second, if experience has been gained prior to the start of the dataset then the log-log learning curve model will yield biased coefficients (Lapré and Tsikriktsis 2006).…”

Section: Empirical Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning from My Success and from Others' Failure: Evidence from Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery

Staats

Gino³

2013

Management Science

197

133

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Learning from past experience is central to an organization's adaptation and survival. A key dimension of prior experience is whether an outcome was successful or unsuccessful. Although empirical studies have investigated the effects of success and failure in organizational learning, to date, the phenomenon has received little attention at the individual level. Drawing on attribution theory in psychology, we investigate how individuals learn from their own past experiences with both failure and success and from the experiences of others. For our empirical analyses, we use 10 years of data from 71 cardiothoracic surgeons who completed more than 6,500 procedures using a new technology for cardiac surgery. We find that individuals learn more from their own successes than from their own failures, but they learn more from the failures of others than from others' successes. We also find that individuals' prior successes and others' failures can help individuals overcome their inability to learn from their own failures. Together, these findings offer both theoretical and practical insights into how individuals learn directly from their prior experience and indirectly from the experiences of others. AcknowledgmentsWe thank Mike Luca, Ella Miron-Spektor, Lamar Pierce, and Enno Siemsen for valuable comments on earlier drafts of the paper. We are grateful to Jesper Sørensen, the associate editor, and to the referees who provided constructive and developmental assistance throughout the review process. All errors remain our own.-1 - Learning from My Success and From Others' Failure:Evidence from Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery AbstractLearning from past experience is central to an organization's adaptation and survival. A key dimension of prior experience is whether an outcome was successful or unsuccessful. While empirical studies have investigated the effects of success and failure in organizational learning, to date the phenomenon has received little attention at the individual level. Drawing on attribution theory in psychology, we investigate how individuals learn from their own past experiences with both failure and success and from the experiences of others. For our empirical analyses, we use ten years of data from 71 cardiothoracic surgeons who completed over 6,500 procedures using a new technology for cardiac surgery. We find that individuals learn more from their own successes than from their own failures but learn more from the failures of others than from others' successes. We also find that individuals' prior successes and others' failures can help individuals overcome their inability to learn from their own failures. Together, these findings offer both theoretical and practical insights into how individuals learn directly from their prior experience and indirectly from the experiences of others.

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Section: Empirical Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning from My Success and from Others' Failure: Evidence from Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery

Staats

Gino³

2013

Management Science

197

133

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“…One of these issues is based on the fact that "Six Sigma is an organizational learning process and one that results in greater knowledge" (Schroeder et al, 2008, p.549). As a consequence, "viewing Six Sigma through the lens of knowledge management and organizational learning can lead to insights about how to create, retain, and diffuse knowledge using a structured method" Lapré et al, 2000). Other recent studies have indicated the importance of pursuing this issue in the study of Six Sigma.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Six sigma, absorptive capacity and organisational learning orientation

Gutiérrez

Bustinza

Barrales‐Molina

2012

International Journal of Production Research

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The importance of the Six Sigma methodology in industry is growing constantly. However, there are few empirical studies that analyze the advantages of this methodology and its positive effects on organizational performance. The purpose of this paper is to extend understanding of the success of Six Sigma quality management initiatives by investigating the effects of Six Sigma teamwork and process management on absorptive capacity. It also seeks to understand the relation between absorptive capacity and organizational learning as two sources of sustainable competitive advantage. The information used comes from a larger study, the data for which were collected from a random sample of 237 European firms. Of these 237 organizations, 58 are Six Sigma organizations. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses. The main findings show that Six Sigma teamwork and process management positively affect the development of absorptive capacity. A positive and significant relationship is also observed between absorptive capacity and organizational learning orientation. The findings of this study justify Six Sigma implementation in firms. This study provides us with an in-depth understanding of some structural elements that characterize the Six Sigma methodology, enabling us to provide an explanation for its success.

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“… Analytical papers that simply summarize all wastes under one measure (Li & O'Brien, 1999;Lapré et al, 2000). But it is more than questionable how far one specific measure can accurately represent the whole complexity of the waste concept.…”

Section: Other Definitions Of Wastementioning

confidence: 99%

“…This definition appears interesting at first sight, including elements of the theory of swift and even flow (Schmenner & Swink, 1998 Lim et al (1999) The term waste is described in the Webster's English dictionary as produced in excess. However, Shingo (1989), tackling the issue from a practitioner's point of view, defines waste in terms of seven categories:.. (p304) Lapré et al (2000) …waste rate (measured by the ratio of wasted material to total material released to the process). (p598) de Treville & Antonakis (2006) ...; any slack in the system is referred to as ''waste'' (e.g., Womack et al 1990).…”

Section: Other Definitions Of Wastementioning

confidence: 99%

On the meaning of ‘Waste’: review and definition

Thürer

Tomašević

Stevenson

2016

Production Planning & Control

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Waste reduction is one of the main principles of lean, but it has been taken for granted that we have a common understanding of what waste means. We first present a critical, qualitative discussion that identifies four distinct waste concepts. We then conduct a systematic review of the literature that examines the different uses of these concepts. We find that only the classic concept of the seven wastes and the concept of waste as non-value adding activity are widely applied. However, both concepts are, at times, not only incompatible but used in a way that leads to open contradiction. A new definition, centered on an efficient, timely transformation process seeks to consolidate the literature. We outline two distinct waste types:(i) obvious waste, to refer to any waste that can be reduced without creating another form of waste; and, (ii) buffer waste, to refer to any waste that cannot be reduced without creating another waste. The paper has important implications for practice. To reduce waste, managers must undertake three interlinked tasks: the elimination of obvious waste; the reduction of variability to transform buffers into obvious waste; and, the balancing of remaining buffers to best achieve performance targets. The paper supports managers in their endeavors to identify waste, which is an important precursor to waste reduction/elimination.

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Behind the Learning Curve: Linking Learning Activities to Waste Reduction

Cited by 303 publications

References 22 publications

Learning from My Success and from Others' Failure: Evidence from Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery

Learning from My Success and from Others' Failure: Evidence from Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery

Six sigma, absorptive capacity and organisational learning orientation

On the meaning of ‘Waste’: review and definition

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