Carmen Jaca
University of Navarra
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Publication
Featured researches published by Carmen Jaca.
The Tqm Journal | 2012
Carmen Jaca; Elisabeth Viles; Ricardo Mateo; Javier Santos
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is twofold: to evaluate the importance of the factors reported in the literature as enablers of Continuous Improvement (CI) programmes and to determine the perception of managers of different companies in the Basque Country and Navarre (Spain) regarding the relevance of these factors to their improvement programmes.Design/methodology/approach – In total, 15 elements have been considered to be key issues for the sustainability of CI programmes. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 36 companies in order to assess how the companies value the factors and how the factors are applied and measured.Findings – The findings regarding the application and evaluation of such factors have revealed that companies are focused on the agents associated with the achievement of results. Other factors, such as management commitment or the promotion of team working, are highly scored and applied, but few companies evaluate them or take actions to improve their application.Originali...
International Journal of Production Research | 2014
Carmen Jaca; Elisabeth Viles; Luis Paipa-Galeano; Javier Santos; Ricardo Mateo
The 5S methodology is a very appropriate way to initiate and achieve the process of continuous improvement. This paper studies management practices in successful Japanese companies in order to determine what 5S principles are behind them. After visiting and conducting interviews at five different plants, a multi-case study analysis was developed to identify the key aspects of the success of the implementation of 5S in Japan. Although each of the companies studied is different, there are commonalities that provide for interesting learning. As a result, best managerial practices based on 5S principles are explained, and the most important principles associated with the success of the 5S method are described and discussed.
Total Quality Management & Business Excellence | 2012
Carmen Jaca; Javier Santos; Ander Errasti; Elisabeth Viles
Sectors associated with the distribution of products and goods have become more and more important in recent years. Globalisation and changing market demands are increasing competitiveness in these sectors, and as a result many companies have adopted new improvement methods to assure their survival. The adoption of improvement philosophies and a lean culture offer new opportunities to improve the quality and service of distribution networks and activities related with transport and warehousing. The application of these philosophies, widely used in industrial companies, has been little documented in distribution centres. However, these methods are difficult to implement in companies from the distribution sector due to the volatility of customer demand, the high degree of human participation and the demanding mechanical and repetitive activities in retail and storage activities. This paper presents a methodology for change management to adopt lean practices in distribution centres. The presented case study has been used to develop, test and refine the methodology. Results show that the methodology was suitable for establishing a lean culture in the company and it resulted in good outcomes in terms of productivity, employee attitudes and participation.
International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management | 2016
Evangelos Psomas; Carmen Jaca
Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to explore the impact of total quality management (TQM) factors on performance dimensions of service companies. Design/methodology/approach – A research project was designed in the Spanish services sector. Companies that had already participated in activities with regard to business excellence were randomly selected and approached through a structured questionnaire, yielding a sample of 151 responding companies. By analyzing TQM implementation and company performance through the exploratory factor analysis, specific TQM factors and performance dimensions are extracted. The TQM factors that significantly influence the performance dimensions are determined through multiple linear regression analyses. Findings – According to the findings, the factors describing TQM implementation in service companies concern quality practices of top management, employee quality management, process management, employee knowledge and education and customer focus. Similarly, the performance...
International Journal of Production Research | 2014
Carmen Jaca; Elisabeth Viles; Daniel Jurburg; Martín Tanco
One of the most important enablers of continuous improvement sustainability is ease of communication, and doing so in a way that can be understood by all employees and allows information to flow rapidly throughout the company. Visual Management (VM) provides significant benefits in communication and standardisation which boosts the effectiveness of improvement systems. This article presents an in-depth literature review about the concept of VM and its benefits, and provides results from an exploratory study carried out in the Basque Country that aims to ascertain the usage of VM in 52 companies. Based on a literature review, 20 different VM elements were identified for improving the workplace. The implementation of these elements was studied, as was the relationship of VM with employee participation systems. The results of this study show a general moderate implementation of VM tools in companies with implementation levels differing according to company size. Some of the lowest scores are detected in the areas of visual control of quality, the displaying of indicators and process visibility. Moreover, statistical differences were identified between the implementation of suggestion systems and improvement teams and the implementation level of VM tools.
The Tqm Journal | 2011
Martín Tanco; Carmen Jaca; Elisabeth Viles; Ricardo Mateo; Javier Santos
Purpose – Since the field of healthcare was a latecomer to the quality movement, knowledge transfer has generally flowed in one direction, from industry to healthcare. However, organisations can also be enriched by healthcare. In particular, this paper aims to show industry that important lessons can be learned regarding how teamwork is generally managed within healthcare.Design/methodology/approach – To identify the useful lessons that healthcare can teach industry, the authors started with a brainstorming session among the members of the research team to pin‐point the lessons based on their experience with healthcare and industrial environments. Afterwards, an exhaustive review of the relevant literature from the last ten years was carried out.Findings – Industrial organisations need to develop teamwork frameworks focused on involving every employee in cross‐disciplinary, empowered and trained teams. Moreover, from a team perspective, special care must be shown when defining clear roles, focusing on end...
Total Quality Management & Business Excellence | 2015
Carmen Jaca; Evangelos Psomas
The present study focuses on total quality management (TQM) implementation in service companies. The purpose of the study is to determine the latent factors of the TQM practices implemented as well as the dimensions of the respective performance outcomes. A research project was carried out in 72 Spanish service companies, using the questionnaire method. Two measurement models were formulated. The first model includes the TQM practices, while the second contains the performance outcomes. Exploratory factor analyses are applied to extract the latent factors. The TQM factors revealed by this study are the quality practices of top management, process management, employee quality management, customer focus and employee knowledge and education. The dimensions of the performance outcomes are financial performance, customer satisfaction, product/service quality performance and operational performance. In this study, TQM adoption in service companies is decoded by determining specific TQM factors. Moreover, the performance outcomes from TQM are classified. The TQM factors and the dimensions of performance outcomes expand the literature on TQM in the services sector.
Team Performance Management | 2013
Carmen Jaca; Elisabeth Viles; Martín Tanco; Ricardo Mateo; Javier Santos
Purpose – Teamwork is one of the most powerful tools to ensure success across any activity. The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that actively contribute to the effectiveness of teams. This research looks at two different types of teams: care delivery teams representing healthcare and improvement teams representing the manufacturing industry. The aim is to provide greater knowledge about the application of team work factors in different environments.Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative interviews about teamwork factors were conducted with 17 leaders of teams from healthcare and 22 leaders from manufacturing industries. The responses were categorized into different levels according to the application of each factor. Then, the factors were analyzed to draw conclusions about the different approaches to teamwork and their application.Findings – Most of the factors analyzed are highly applied in both sectors. However, we found significant differences between hospitals and the manufacturing ...
International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences | 2012
M. Jesús Álvarez; Carmen Jaca; Elisabeth Viles; Anna Colomer
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to see how quality management is carried out in hotels in the Basque Country, a region in the north of Spain with a long tradition in the tourist sector.Design/methodology/approach – The objective of the study was to establish what approaches to quality management are utilised by hotels in the region. The data were collated from information gathered via a survey conducted by e‐mail.Findings – A large percentage of surveyed hotels implement a quality management system that has been designed in‐house. A figure of note, is the fact that 79 per cent of participants claim their quality management system has been introduced successfully. The study also indicated that a significant number of hotels implement a policy of continuous improvement to the system, as hotels believe in the effectiveness of quality management systems and think that such systems have resulted in an increase in customers and profit.Research limitations/implications – The hotels that responded to the s...
The Tqm Journal | 2015
Daniel Jurburg; Elisabeth Viles; Carmen Jaca; Martín Tanco
Purpose – Continuous improvement (CI) is regarded as a powerful approach to achieve business excellence. However, the implementation is not simple as it involves managing a considerable amount of tangible and intangible factors throughout the whole organization. The purpose of this paper is to fill the gap by presenting first-hand information about how companies really implement and organize their CI processes. Design/methodology/approach – The study was based on semi-structured interviews in ten high performing companies in the Basque Country, a region in northern Spain well known for its business quality. The objective was to analyze the state of their CI processes, putting special focus on how the organizational structure integrates with the CI processes and what are the characteristics of the corresponding measurement system. Findings – The study shows a lack of company-wide focus on CI, little written evidence of previous improvement activities, unclear improvement process owner, and poor use of adeq...