Edson Pinheiro de Lima

Lean, Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma: an analysis based on operations strategy

There is a growing need for operations management models that contribute to the continuous improvement of company processes, among them we highlight lean manufacturing, Six Sigma and, more recently, Lean Six Sigma (LSS). This article aims (1) to identify and analyse the differences and complementarities in the production decision areas for each one of the three models; (2) to identify the competitive priorities that lead to the best performance as a result of policies followed in the decision areas as a result of the adopted model. First, a theoretical conceptual model was developed based on a review of the literature, followed by a exploratory research questions applied to manufacturing companies that use the lean, Six Sigma or LSS manufacturing models in southern Brazil. The main results show that there are differences in the models in relation to the importance of the decision areas and the performance achieved in the competitive priorities. Individually, lean manufacturing, Six Sigma and LSS have varying degrees of importance in the Facilities, Vertical Integration and Production Planning and Control decision areas. The performance dimensions with the best performance are speed, quality, reliability and cost.

Green supply chain management

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the main motivating factors and difficulties in implementing GSCM; and to describe and explain how GSCM is being adopted in the Brazilian automotive industry. Design/methodology/approach – To meet the proposed objectives three case studies will be carried out in a Brazilian automotive industry, performing a total of 13 interviews, based on a research protocol. As the data collection instrument, a semi-structured interview was used based on a pre-established script, direct observation and documents from the organization researched. For the analysis of the results, the content analysis method was used, applying a triangle analysis to the research data with the patterns presented in the theoretical reference. Findings – The paper orients the companies in the automotive sector to adopt GSCM practices and principally that internal actions of automakers can be transferred throughout the supply chain. Practical implications – Contributes in a more practical so t...

Developing a methodology for assessing virtual teams’ performance perception

Purpose – The main purpose of this paper is to describe and test a methodology to measure the level of comprehension of priorities in performance measurement systems by virtual teams.Design/methodology/approach – Through the combination of existing models for performance measurement, a methodology of using focus groups for identifying virtual teams performance perceptions and comprehension is proposed and tested.Findings – Preliminary findings show that virtual teams could express their perception about companies’ goals and performance requirements, and could also improve their commitment to companies’ operations strategy by performance gaps assessment.Research limitations/implications – The proposed methodology was tested in a portion of a team just to validate the applicability of such methodology.Practical implications – Preliminary findings show that virtual teams could express their perception about companies’ goals and performance requirements, and could also improve their commitment to companies’ ...

Gestão do conhecimento na manufatura

The continuous growth in socioeconomics environment dynamics and the complexity that surrounds manufacturing systems have made companies review their strategies and practices related to their production systems. They have been concentrating efforts at the development of Production Models, and thus the Resource Based Theory has been revisited. This study aims to identify the critical elements that characterize the relationship between manufacturing strategy, technology planning, and knowledge management actions. Based on the theoretical context of manufacturing and technological strategies, a processual framework for knowledge management is proposed. The developed process is tested through the identification of critical elements of knowledge management in an automaker company using the Cambridge Process Approach, an action research strategy. This paper summarizes a discussion of the critical elements of knowledge management in order to propose a set of KM actions observing the close relationship necessary between manufacturing and technology strategies.

Sustainable operations management: practices and measures in the food industry

The food industry represents an important economic activity, not only because it is related to basic physiological processes required for human survival but also due to the considerable losses from wasted natural resources identified in food production. Thus, this industry generates significant environmental, social and economic impacts, ranking it among the sectors with the highest greenhouse gas emissions on the planet. Accordingly, this article aims to identify sustainable practices and measures that are being adopted by organisations in the food industry. This research followed a theoretical-conceptual method by conducting a bibliographic survey of research on sustainable actions adopted by companies in the food industry. A content analysis was conducted by extracting twenty articles published between 1999 and 2012 to provide information about sustainable actions reported by authors. The results highlight the important practices and measures identified, categorise the prominent studies in this sector ...

Uma metodologia para a condução do processo associado ao projeto organizacional de sistemas de operações integradas

Em sistemas de operacoes integradas, os reais beneficios da integracao so podem ser obtidos e reconhecidos se o projeto e a estrutura organizacional decorrente se tornam compativeis com a mudanca a ser introduzida. Alem disso, ha a necessidade de se desenvolver uma metodologia para a conducao da atividade de projeto, o que inclui a sua gestao e instrumentalizacao. Da definicao de um modelo de referencia para o projeto organizacional, desenvolve-se a racionalidade do processo de projetar. A partir desta racionalidade e dos seus elementos constituintes, identifica-se uma abordagem metodologica que tenha a completude necessaria, no sentido de se manter a coerencia entre a estrutura e a mudanca a ser introduzida, bem como de servir como instrumento para a sua operacionalizacao. Portanto, afora desenvolver a racionalidade do processo de projetar, destaca-se como contribuicao deste trabalho a identificacao de uma abordagem que, alem de definir um processo de gestao da atividade de projeto organizacional, orientando a sua instrumentalizacao, podera servir como uma estrategia para o refinamento e a validacao do modelo. Tal metodologia contribui para a construcao de uma Teoria Organizacional de Projeto para os sistemas organizacionais, em particular para os sistemas de operacoes integradas.

Desenvolvendo um processo de análise de investimentos baseado em competências

The organisational competences that an enterprise uses in its operations potentially define its capacity for implementing its business strategy. The present paper proposes a process for the analysis of investment projects based on competences. The study is focused on small enterprises, and it is applied to capacity expansion projects. The developed approach is based on a theoretical framework refined through a round of interviews conducted with experienced professionals. Three investment analysts and three academics that work in the strategic operations management and economic production management areas participated in the interviews. The developed process was tested in simulation studies using the results of three investment projects analyzed by a development bank in the period of March 2002 to September 2003. The cases are related to manufacturing, commerce, and service sectors. The result of this work is an investment analysis process that uses the enterprise competences concept to evaluate its capability to generate results. The process relates resources and competences to the adopted business strategy. The study nature is exploratory and, in this sense, it does not allow generalizations. It is necessary to increase the number of simulations and to test the process using different investment analysts. The major practical implication is related to the fact that a structured procedure was proposed for the analysis of investment projects for small companies due to the difficulty of obtaining accurate and reliable financial and economic information about those companies. This study contributes to the development of methodologies for the analysis of investment projects based on a strategic approach.

Aprendizagem organizacional e desenvolvimento de competências: uma síntese a partir da gestão do conhecimento

As organizacoes estao operando em um ambiente altamente dinâmico e competitivo, tais aspectos caracterizam a “economia do conhecimento”. A aprendizagem organizacional e a formacao de competencias constituem processos de grande importância para a manutencao e desenvolvimento da competitividade. O objetivo deste artigo e estudar as relacoes que se estabelecem entre formacao e desenvolvimento de competencias e aprendizagem organizacional, tendo como contexto as definicoes estabelecidas pelo desenho ou projeto organizacional. A pesquisa e de natureza teorica e visa construir, a partir da literatura, um quadro conceitual que identifique as relacoes que se estabelecem entre a formacao e desenvolvimento de competencias e a aprendizagem organizacional, sendo estas relacoes mediadas pelo projeto organizacional. O desenvolvimento conceitual do artigo fundamenta-se na articulacao de elementos como o conhecimento organizacional, aprendizagem organizacional, competencias organizacionais e o projeto organizacional, para formar como produto do artigo uma sintese, na forma de um framework, que represente as relacoes entre aprendizagem e competencias.

Measuring environmental performance in hospitals: a framework and process

Purpose This paper aims to propose a new framework to define relevant and meaningful indicators for monitoring and assessing environmental performance to improve health-care systems and operations. Design/methodology/approach A comprehensive literature review followed by field studies conducted with ten hospitals in the southern region of Brazil underlined the scarcity of consistent frameworks applied in practice to measure, monitor and improve environmental performance. A new framework was developed and proposed to address this issue. The proposed framework is operationalized through a “process approach” and evaluated in terms of feasibility (Can the process be followed?), usability (Is the approach easily followed?) and utility (Are the results useful for managers?). Findings The paper proposes a framework and a process to evaluate the environmental performance in hospitals. Practical implications The proposed framework represents meaningful guidance to managers for strategy formalization, goal setting and environmental performance assessment and monitoring. Originality/value The paper proposes a systematic framework for measuring environmental performance in hospitals drawn from the literature review, current legislation and best practices reported in literature.

Análise comparativa de rentabilidade: um estudo sobre o Índice de Sustentabilidade Empresarial

Organizations have been striving to show society their policies of good social and environmental practices; consequently, they have been increasingly investing in socially responsible actions, one of the reasons for the growing creation of indexes of corporate sustainability. Many studies have been conducted on the ISE - Corporate Sustainability Index - of BMF the evidences found by using the t-student statistical test show that in spite of having a differentiated theoretical portfolio, focused on social, environmental and ethical issues, the profitability of companies that compose the ISE Group is similar to or lower than that of companies of the reference group. Nevertheless, the results show that the companies of the ISE Group have other ways to create shareholder value, such as lower volatility and risk exposure.