Hanna Włodarkiewicz-Klimek

Agility of Knowledge-Based Organizations

Uncertainty and volatility of the environment in which modern enterprises need to operate require management concepts and methods to be continually monitored and adjusted so that the high level of market competitiveness and attractiveness could be maintained. It is possible to attain such a state thanks to taking full advantage of knowledge contained both in an enterprise itself and its environment. Enterprises aspiring to succeed need to shape their internal structure and management mechanisms in a way which will make it possible for them to achieve the level of a knowledge-based enterprise characterized by a high level of agility. An agile knowledge-based enterprise is marked by high sensitivity and ability to seize opportunities it encounters, which stem from its internal configuration of resources conducive to such a behaviour. The aim of the paper is to define agility features of a knowledge-based enterprise and to identify mechanisms which influence the improvement of an enterprise potential in areas favourable for agility development. The paper is a collection of theoretical cogitations which have led to formulating a multi-aspect model of a mechanism used to shape agility of a knowledge-based organization.

Identification of concurrent engineering in Polish manufacturing companies some results of pilot research

Automated and robotic technologies when implemented to production lines and manufacturing cells not only enable flexibility of the manufacturing systems but make reasonable production in small batches and shorten the production cycle as well. However to compete successfully on the cycle of launching the product into the market also the cycle of a new product development must be shorten. That is possible by implementing concurrent engineering procedures. Concurrent engineering is now widely implement in many world industries. Companies have to enhance their strategy to respond to customers requirements and the market needs more efficiently and quickly. Some of them have already started to implement techniques and tools that would enable them achieve competitive advantage by delivering high quality product with reasonable costs and in a short time, which is possible to realize with applying concurrent engineering CE method.

Human Capital in the Development of Mechanisms Improving the Agility of Organizations

Turbulent changes in the global economy, dominant business networking as well as technological and civilization advancements determine the need for the development of agile knowledge-based enterprises. Such enterprises, through their operational models and possessed resources, are capable of effective operation in a rapidly-changing environment and have the capacity for taking advantage of potential opportunities. A resource which is of particular significance to an enterprise that strives after achieving agility is human capital. The probability of capturing and making use of an opportunity grows along with the dynamic growth of human capital maintained by an organization. Proper staff ensures a high and constantly updated level of knowledge in an organization, enables a quick reconfiguration of resources and adeptly supports relations creating virtual partner networks. The aim of the publication is to present mechanisms that shape business agility through the use and creation of human capital potential in the context of reacting to opportunities that appear in the business environment. It is expressed through the development of agility dimensions such as: brightness, flexibility, intelligence and shrewdness. Thanks to the increased level of agility, an enterprise attains the desired level of: knowledge, core competences, virtuality and capacity for resource reconfiguration. The mechanism which is featured in the article was developed on the basis of an analysis of source literature and on the basis of empirical research related to the identification of human capital characteristics in an enterprise, which are conducive for the development of agility. Considerations made in the article contribute to structuring and describing the influence exerted by human capital on the development of business agility and to specifying, in an utilitarian way, the characteristics of human capital which have an impact on increasing the level of business agility.