Manufacturing best practice and performance studies: a critique

Abstract

The number of studies relating to best practice in manufacturing has been increasing at a rapid rate over the last few years. As companies strive to attain world-class manufacturing status the search for best practice has intensified. Focus has evolved from benchmarking as a means to improve company performance through the identification of best practice, to the need to identify, manage and transfer best practices. This paper discusses this evolution of focus and identifies key issues for consideration in best practice investigations. In particular, it addresses issues of methodology which can improve the quality of findings from studies of best practice and maximise company performance through the transfer of appropriate best practices.

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“…Moreover, those best practices are usually considered universal, neglecting the environment, the characteristics of the companies and the fact that after due time these practices will be rendered obsolete and new practices will be favoured. Because of these phenomena Davies and Kochbar (2002) put forward three possible ways for future research: (1) best practices are those practices that lead to better performance, (2) best practices are context specific, so they must be investigated in the context they have been taken from, and (3) practices should be analysed more holistically, in which case best practices are improving the overall performance, not just the performance of one specific area. Davies and Kochbar (2002) also note that the few studies that have taken place vary widely in methodology and results.…”