Fatma Pakdil

Criteria for a lean organisation: development of a lean assessment tool

Lean principles have long been recognised as a competitive advantage. Although there are several measures for various aspects of lean production in the literature, there is no comprehensive measure for overall lean implementation in business firms. An appropriate measurement tool is needed to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the lean implementation throughout the entire organisation. Based on lean research, a comprehensive tool called the leanness assessment tool (LAT) is developed, using both quantitative (directly measurable and objective) and qualitative (perceptions of individuals) approaches to assess lean implementation. The LAT measures leanness using eight quantitative performance dimensions: time effectiveness, quality, process, cost, human resources, delivery, customer and inventory. The LAT also uses five qualitative performance dimensions: quality, process, customer, human resources and delivery, with 51 evaluation items. The fuzzy method allows managers to identify improvement needs in lean implementation, and the use of radar charts allows an immediate, comprehensive view of strong areas and those needing improvement. Practical uses of the LAT are discussed in the conclusion, along with possible limitations.

Culture and Communication Cultural Variations and Media Effectiveness

Advances in communication technologies have made great progress in bridging time and distance, but social and cultural differences are still formidable obstacles to effective communication. Communication processes occur in specific cultural contexts, with unique normative beliefs, assumptions, and shared symbols. Culture influences what people communicate, to whom they communicate, and how they communicate. There has been little systematic cross‐cultural research to explicate the effects of communication media on communication effectiveness. This article proposes cultural effects on perceptions of media effectiveness. The authors advance conceptual knowledge by presenting new perspectives on the cultural effects on individuals’ perception of media and their effectiveness.

The effect of organizational culture on implementing and sustaining lean processes

Purpose – Lean systems thinking was widely studied using relevant variables, but there is a dearth of published theoretical or empirical evidence about the cultural aspects of lean processes. The lack of conceptual development is one of the motivations for this study. Do organizational cultural variations correlate with the success and effectiveness of lean processes? What organizational infrastructures are required for effective lean implementation and continuation? The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Examining literature in the area of lean production and lean management, the authors sought current literature at the intersection of organizational culture and lean processes, particularly implementation and sustainability, but found little relating to the topic. Therefore, using the Competing Values Framework taxonomy, the authors examine this intersection, relying on related research in the areas. Findings – In this paper, a brief discussion of lean processes in relation to organizational culture leads to propositions that identify the various cultural dimensions and their purported effect on lean implementation and sustainability. A model of this interaction is developed. Those quadrants of the Competing Values Framework that might be useful in developing research directions for the future are identified. Research limitations/implications – Future research directions include the measurement of organizational culture in firms that have implemented lean processes. This would be a step toward looking at the effect that the different quadrants in the Competing Values Framework have on various elements of lean efforts. This would take a significant amount of work, because the manufacturing industry, the leader in implementing and sustaining lean processes, may have institutionalized particular organizational cultures. It would be an interesting step forward in the understanding of how lean processes are operationalized across different firms and industries. However, there are multiple ways to examine culture; the authors believe this method allows the capture of the entire spectrum. Practical implications – Knowing which dimensions influence lean effectiveness and the way that they wield that influence allows managers to develop the firm’s organizational culture to one that will support implementing and sustaining lean efforts. The challenge to implement and sustain lean processes lies in the need to identify the organizational culture infrastructure that will allow this system that was first used by Japanese firms to operate well in other organizational contexts. The values and norms that underlie lean processes may create conflict with the culture that already exists within the organization; such divergence retards adoption and performance. Originality/value – There is a lack of research at the critical intersection of organizational culture and lean implementation/sustainability. Culture is key to making the changes required of lean implementation and in sustaining the drive toward lean production and management. The paper begins to fill that gap.

Factors That Influence Efficiency in Performing ENT Cases: A Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis

The aim of this study was to assess procedures with high turnover time to procedure time ratios, estimate the effect of productivity changes on case efficiency, and determine causative factors. We specifically focused on suspension direct microlaryngoscopy (SML) (CPT 31526) cases because significantly greater productivity was possible for these cases in terms of ratios. After determining process times, we developed economic scenarios that employed time-reductions, and then assessed involved staff opinions using brainstorming and cause–effect methods. Improving all process times by 30% achieved up to a 50% improvement in revenue and the return on investment in additional scope equipment occurred within 2 months.

A systematic approach to reduce human and system-related errors causing customer dissatisfaction in a production environment

In this study, a systematic methodology for business process improvement, which aims to eliminate human and system-related errors resulting in customer dissatisfaction in a production environment, is presented. The proposed methodology consists of problem identification and analysis, preventing human-related errors and system-related error steps respectively. The methodology was also implemented in a real-life organisation. Current and proposed systems are compared via a simulation model to examine the results of process improvements. The case study shows that the proposed methodology works exceedingly well and yields considerable improvement in the process under study. The most important and impressive difference of this paper from the previous literature is that process improvement needs are derived directly from customer dissatisfaction reasons and solved by the proposed systematic methodology. In this way human-related and system-related errors were perceived opportunities for improvement.

Examining media effectiveness across cultures and national borders: A review and multilevel framework

We explore the ways that perceptions of media effectiveness are affected by the societal culture, organizational culture, occupational (professional) culture, individual characteristics, and technology acceptance. This is an important subject to explore, as communication is essential to organizational functioning. The continuous drive for communication to individuals in different national and organizational situations around the world, due in part to globalization, leads us to ask: which medium is perceived as the most effective for each of the tasks a manager may be called upon to perform, particularly in different cultures? In other words, is the receiver getting the message that we intend, when the receiver is not in the same situation (societal, organizational, professional, etc.) as the sender? There are contexts of shared values, rules, and experiences that affect communication; words do not have the same meaning and value across languages and cultures (Macnamara, 2004). This means that the message sent from one context may not be the message received in another. If we are not communicating the messages we intend, then our method of communicating may be efficient, but it is certainly not effective. However, there is little research on the effectiveness of media types. We develop a framework highlighting the intersection of variables salient to effectiveness: societal, organizational, and occupational culture, individual characteristics, and technology the sender? In the conclusion, we suggest future work that might be appropriate, given the increasing interest in global communication.

Combined analysis of service expectations and perceptions in lodging industry through quality function deployment

This study is the first empirical attempt of how quality function deployment (QFD) can be employed as a service quality design and improvement tool in the lodging industry. It combines two complementary perspectives of managers and customers regarding improving service quality in the lodging industry. This study empirically depicts a case where QFD was employed to design service delivery processes in the lodging industry, taking both customer demands and service provider expert knowledge and opinions. First, the dimensions concerning customer needs and expectations are tangibles, food, the adequate features of rooms and housekeeping, communication and accessibility, assurance and responsiveness, reliability, well-cared spaces, and equipment. Even though QFD has been used in the manufacturing industry, it has rarely been utilised in service design processes in the lodging industry. In this regard, this study has the potential to fill a perceived gap in the literature concerning methods to improve service quality through effective service design function using QFD in this industry.

A pathway for process improvement activities in a production environment: a case study in a rework department

In this study, we describe our experience in process improvement in a study of one of the foremost manufacturing firms in Turkey. The firm is faced with a large increase in its inventory of returned products. To arrive at solutions to the problem and suggest improvements in the system under consideration, we offer a three-phase methodology which consists of identifying all the sub-problems that lead to the main problem and then solving those sub-problems. Although their solution involves the use of well-known techniques, the uniqueness of the approach lies in offering a systematic methodology that unifies these techniques from different disciplines in a sequential and integrated fashion.