Alberto Bayo-Moriones

5S use in manufacturing plants: contextual factors and impact on operating performance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between 5S use, contextual factors and performance. The contextual factors comprise structural features of the firm, environment, human resources and technology and quality management. The performance measures refer to improvements in productivity, quality, employee satisfaction, lead time and new product design.Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey was conducted in 203 Spanish manufacturing plants, with personnel interviewees. The hypotheses proposed were verified using correlation analysis and analysis of variance.Findings – The results show the existence of a positive relationship between the use of 5S and some contextual factors such as size, the integration of the plant in a multinational group, the type of product manufactured, the technology used and the quality programmes in the plant. Moreover, 5S is positively related to some operational performance measures, especially those referring to quality and productivity.O...

Quality management and high performance work practices: Do they coexist?

Abstract In this study we analyse the impact of quality management practices on human resource management. Although in the theoretical literature this relationship is supposed to hold, there is a shortage of empirical research about this belief. To this end we have used a sample of almost 1000 Spanish manufacturing plants. In order to test our hypotheses we have estimated several ordered probit models. Our results indicate that the implementation of quality assurance systems and the use of different instruments to improve quality facilitate the introduction of high performance work practices, both in the area concerning work organisation and that which concerns employment relations management.

The role of organizational context and infrastructure practices in JIT implementation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze which factors determine the use of just‐in‐time (JIT) in companies. More precisely, the paper aims to study the role played by two variables of organizational context (size and age) and three infrastructure practices (advanced manufacturing technologies – AMT, quality management, and work organization).Design/methodology/approach – The hypotheses were tested using data collected from 203 manufacturing plants with at least 20 employees. Data were collected by means of personal interviews with plant managers. Regression analyses have been performed to test the hypotheses.Findings – The results reveal the existence of diversity in the factors that affect the use of the different components of JIT. Infrastructure practices are shown to be more determining than contextual factors. This happens in particular with AMT, basic quality tools and the management of the relationships with suppliers and customers.Research limitations/implications – The main limitations ...

Iso‐9000 Certification and Ownership Structure: Effects Upon Firm Performance

ISO certification has become a pervasive mechanism adopted by firms to improve their operational performance. In this paper, we examine the operational and organizational factors that increase the likelihood of adopting ISO certification and the impact that ISO certification and ownership structure have upon firm performance. Using a sample of 163 Spanish manufacturing firms for the period 1996–2000 we perform a rare events logit model and a regression analysis. Our findings show that firms producing intermediate goods that have implemented just-in-time practices are more likely to adopt ISO certification. Furthermore, we report a strong influence of the ownership structure upon ISO adoption policy, especially when a multinational firm is the largest shareholder. Empirical evidence supports that ISO certification and ownership structure positively impact firm performance. However, our results indicate that the positive impact of ISO certification on performance diminishes in firms where ownership is highly concentrated.

The Relationship between New Work Practices and Employee Effort

In the context of the debate about the effectiveness of implementing new work practices, such as job rotation, teamwork and enhancing job autonomy, this article analyses their relationship with different dimensions of workers’ effort. Using two different but complementary data sets, our study reveals that in general these new work practices are associated to greater voluntary and involuntary mental effort, with a weaker link with involuntary physical effort. Besides this general trend our study also shows that different practices play different roles in different dimensions of employee effort.

The Adoption of Production Incentives in Spain

We attempt to identify the factors that determine the use of production incentives for manual workers in Spanish manufacturing industry. Data relating to 629 manufacturing plants are used in the investigation. Our findings show that intensified competition, membership of a multinational firm and public ownership have a negative effect. Also, production incentives are associated with lower monitoring, narrowness of job description and teamwork. The evidence obtained rejects the hypothesis of a negative association between incentive payment and several features associated with internal labour markets. Finally, union influence is found to have a positive influence on the use of incentives.

Skills, technology and organisational innovation in Spanish firms

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to provide empirical evidence on the relationships among new technologies, innovative work practices and upskilling in the Spanish case. Design/methodology/approach – Using detailed plant‐level data from a survey of Spanish manufacturing firms, we apply estimation methods, such as tobit and ordered probit models, to test the hypothesis that the use of ICT, AMT, and innovative work practices is positively related to upskilling. Findings – As available empirical evidence shows for other countries, we have found that AMT, ICT and innovative work practices are positively related to skills, although they have different effects on workforce composition and training. We have also found several significant effects of the interactive terms of the three technologies and work practices considered on the selected variables of upskilling. Research limitations/implications – The main limitation is the lack of time series data. Cross‐sectional data do not allow the use of lagged variables and make it impossible to analyse the evolution of the adoption of new technologies and work practices by firms and their dynamic effects on skills, or to study causalities among variables. In addition, the study relates only to manufacturing industries. Further research should consider expanding the analysis to the service sector and studying possible complementarities between technology and work practices, in terms of labor cost savings. Originality/value – This paper offers empirical evidence for Spain on the relationship between new technologies, innovative work practices and upskilling considered jointly. It analyses two different technologies: ICT and AMT. The paper also focuses on different dimensions of upskilling.

Organisational incentive plans in Spanish manufacturing industry

Analyses the factors that influence the adoption by Spanish manufacturing firms of incentive schemes that link blue‐collar workers’ pay to the results achieved by the organisation for which they work. In pursuing this aim information from 719 manufacturing plants, each with at least 50 employees, is used. Findings reveal the positive influence of factors such as the small size of the plant, the prospects of growth in the workforce or membership of a multinational company. It has also been found that workplace or firm incentives are more usual in factories with automated technologies, with widely defined jobs, and in plants that encourage workers’ involvement and that do not consider personality traits in new employee selection processes.

Quality assurance practices in the global supply chain: the effect of supplier localisation

This paper deals with quality management practices in the global supply chain. More specifically, the association between the geographical location of suppliers (within a country or in low labour cost countries) and quality assurance practices is analysed. Three hypotheses are proposed and tested using a sample of 401 Spanish manufacturing establishments with at least 50 workers in all industries. The results indicate that plants purchasing a higher proportion of their inputs in low-cost countries are more likely to be certified according to a quality standard. However, no associations have been found between the localisation of suppliers and the establishment of close relationships with suppliers in order to assure quality.

Multinational companies and high-performance work practices in the Spanish manufacturing industry

In this paper we use data from industrial plants to establish whether there are differences in the adoption of high-performance work practices (HPWPs) between subsidiaries of multinational firms and indigenous firms. We use a unique data set that consists of a sample of manufacturing establishments located in Spain. We consider 14 HPWPs and find that multinational firms adopt HPWPs more intensively than non-multinationals. We also find that the country of origin of the multinational firm is not so important.