Jan de Leede

Innovation, improvement and operations: an exploration of the management of alignment

Based on the assumption that the three functions of operations, improvement and innovation within companies need to be aligned to improve company performance, this article addresses two internal alignment mechanisms structural and social-dynamic alignment. A survey of 267 companies confirms that successful companies use non-functional organisational structures to align the three functions. Case studies of three firms suggest that alignment can be characterised as exchange relationships between people representing the three functions. They show in more detail how alignment can be achieved. It appears that both structural and social-dynamic aspects, such as power and trust, play a significant role.

Continuous improvement and the mini‐company concept

The key issue of continuous improvement (CI) seems to be the problem of combining extensive employee involvement with market orientation and continuation of CI. In this article we review some existing organisational designs for CI on these three essential characteristics of CI. As an alternative to the shortcomings of current organisational designs for CI we present the mini-company concept, related to the sociotechnical concept of the self-managing team. The mini-company concept incorporates the three key issues: it has a self-propelling capacity for CI, involving everyone on the shop floor. A constant and market-oriented source for improvement is found in the clients and suppliers of the mini-company. Results of an in-depth case-study are presented, showing some strong effects of the mini-company concept.

The Myth of Self-Managing Teams: A Reflection on the Allocation of Responsibilities between Individuals, Teams and the Organisation

Concepts that include the participation and empowerment of workers are becoming increasingly important nowadays. In many of these concepts, the formal responsibility is delegated to teams. Does this imply that the normative responsibility for the actions of teams is also delegated? In this article we will reflect on the difference between holding a person accountable and bearing responsibility. A framework is elaborated in order to analyse the accountability and responsibility of teams. In this framework, the emergence of a collective mind, and the organisational factors that influence the extent to which teams have the possibility of acting in a responsible way play an important role. It shows that teams can bear responsibilities that could never be carried by a group of individuals. The framework is used to analyse two sample cases with self-managing teams in production facilities. The authors discuss the implications for the theory and practice of self-managing teams and the allocation of responsibility between individuals, teams and the organisation.

From responsible management to responsible organizations; the democratic principle for managing organizational ethics

An increasing number of organizations have adopted formal ethics programs. Almost all of these programs are institutionalized at a corporate level and based on communication with representatives and on hierarchical regulations. Sociotechnical theory suggests the use of a participative approach for managing ethics in an organization. In this approach, employees and other stakeholders are directly involved in setting the norms, or specifying the corporate norms in their own area of responsibility (the democratic principle). In this way, the internalization of organizational values is included in the process of organizing ethics.

Self-managing teams in manufacturing companies: implications for the engineering function

AbstractThis article reports on an exploratory multiple case-study (N=11) of companies with self-managing teams. We mention briefly the reasons for the introduction of self-managing teams, different team designs, and implementation strategies. We identify some implications of self-managing teams for the engineering and development function. The cooperation between the teams and process engineers and product developers becomes more intensive. The concept of the client-supplier relationship seems to be a suitable vehicle for this cooperation.

Demanding more than people can deliver: exploring the issues of loyalty and commitment in enterprise collaborations

This paper explores the issue of loyalty and commitment of team workers in industrial collaboration. The similarities and differences between normal and extended or virtual teamwork are described. Extended teams are different from normal teams in terms of location, diversity and composition over time. A comparison of the antecedents of commitment in normal situations reveals that commitment seems to be stimulated by industrial collaboration, because of some enriching job characteristics. However, questions arise related to the focus (organization, work group/collaboration team, occupation) and the form (affective, continuance, normative) of commitment. Further research in this relatively under researched area is needed. Despite the lack of specific research, some organizational policies are pointed to that enhance commitment, such as employee involvement, shared values and socialization practices.

Flexible Labour Strategy in the Dutch Automotive Industry

Labour flexibility is a major way for companies to become more flexible. Why companies use flexible labour relations varies widely per industry. We assess the development of labour flexibility within the Dutch automotive industry. Four cases, together representing the production chain, are presented. We show how and why these companies arrived at the high level of sophistication in labour relations they currently have and what combinations of internal and external, numerical and functional forms have emerged. The process has been one of trial and error, characterised by emerging rather than deliberate strategy. It has a clear pattern over time. In three out of our four companies, an innovative labour use strategy emerged, finely tuned to market demands, new institutional realities and specific company needs.

How employees’ pro-activity translates high-commitment HRM systems into work engagement: the mediating role of job crafting

Abstract In this study, we examine whether the relationship between employees’ perceptions of human resource management (HRM) and work engagement is mediated by job crafting. Using conservation of resources (COR) theory, we propose that HR practices offer job resources which employees reinvest by displaying job crafting behaviours. Since job crafting involves the pro-active redesign of job characteristics by employees, this study advances the idea that employees are pro-active in their response to HRM and translate perceived HRM practice into attitudinal outcomes through displaying pro-active behaviour. In support of this idea, our results show that the relationship between perceived HRM and work engagement is fully mediated by the job crafting type ‘increasing job resources and challenging job demands’. The job crafting type ‘decreasing hindering job demands’ turned out to be insignificantly related to both employee perceptions of HRM and work engagement.

Fostering Innovation : The Influence of New Ways of Working on Innovative Work Behavior

This study examined the influence of new ways of working (NWW) on innovative work behavior (IWB). Due to changing economical and societal developments, organizations all over the world are increasingly implementing NWW and are facing an ever increasing need to successfully innovate. However, while the scientific community has paid extensive attention to both concepts separately, only little is known about the relationship and potential influences of NWW on IWB. In order to add to our limited understanding of this relationship, the present paper developed propositions to provide a first view on the causal relationships and to guide and stimulate future scientific efforts. Therefore, semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve white-collar and knowledge workers of four Dutch companies. The findings indicate that the employment of NWW has various positive influences on all phases of IWB and that NWW provide a coherent bundle of practices that complement each other and have both individual and synergistic positive influences on IWB, provided that regular and predictable physical contact is maintained. For organizations, the findings imply that, through implementing NWW (i.e. teleworking, flexible workspaces, flexible working hours and ICT support), the innovative capacity of their workforce can be increased and more effectively be tapped.

New Ways of Working and Leadership: An Empirical Study in the Service Industry

New Ways of Working seems to change the leadership agenda. Activity-based working and home-based work lead to different behaviors of employees. Supervising styles will change from command-and-control toward goal-setting-and-trust. This chapter describes the trend and provides new data on the actual use and effectiveness of these new supervision styles. It appears to be a mix of different leadership styles, such as leading by vision, setting targets and control on output, providing trust.