Koos Krabbendam

Innovation through exemptions: building upon the existing creativity of employees

In the literature on continuous improvement and innovation management, the role of employees in the innovation process is thoroughly discussed. A widely accepted starting-point in this literature is that the generation of ideas has to be organised and initiated by the senior management of an organisation. In this paper we develop another method that builds upon the already existing creativity within organisations. Recognising potential, trust, result responsibility and exempting employees from their regular tasks are important features of this method.

FMS Implementation Management: Promise and Performance

Although the demand for Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) is still growing, only a few companies are reported to have operational experience with these systems over a long period. Consequently, the supposed benefits of this new technology have yet to be widely proved in practice. The research reported was carried out to evaluate the experiences of a sample of early adopters of FMS in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Belgium, by means of longitudinal case studies. The extent to which the companies managed to achieve their FMS implementation goals is described, and the influence of technical problems, market changes and organisational pressures on goal achievement is demonstrated. It is concluded that in order to introduce and operate FMS successfully, adopters should approach FMS implementation management in a more integrated manner.

Sustainable competitive advantage and marketing innovation within firms: a pragmatic approach for Chinese firms

Purpose - There are different views on how to gain a sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) for firms. This topic has become an important research area in strategic management. The purpose of this paper is to provide an approach for Chinese firms to use as a springboard to identify sources of SCA through marketing innovation. Design/methodology/approach - Based on a cursory review of the generic literature on how to gain SCA, this paper considers innovation as a primary source of a firms competitive advantage. From a practical viewpoint, marketing innovation is identified as a significant source of SCA, especially for those firms operating in the dynamic and competitive Chinese economic environment. Through an analysis of marketing innovations at the Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd in China, an approach is developed to help managers identify their unique sources of SCA through marketing innovation. Findings - This study reveals marketing innovation results from a considered analysis of the various marketing factors in the environment and the inter-relationships between these factors. Subsequently, new sources of SCA can be identified, based on a firms previous sources of competitive advantage. In this process, different types of competitive advantage are viewed in a holistic framework, which provides the basis for improving firm performance. Practical implications - The approach developed in this paper offers a basis for managers to identify their firms unique SCA through marketing innovation. Originality/value - The paper provides insights for academics and professionals in the field and adds to the literature on emerging economies and SCA.

Innovation practices success in China: the use of innovation mechanisms in Chinese SOEs

Purpose: The climate for technical innovation has been improving in the past few years in China. This paper describes a case research concerning technical innovation practices success in three Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the manufacturing industry. This is executed by applying a technical innovation audit tool based on ‘Western’ good practices. Methodology: Studies on technical innovation in the Chinese SOEs started in the 1990s, but most investigations in this field were based on statistical survey and mathematical modelling. In this research, case study research method, including such strategies as open-ended, in-depth questions, intensive interviews and observations, are applied for the validity of information. Findings: The data and results reveal that the investigated Chinese SOEs have already some mechanisms for innovation in place. But there is still room for improvement and enhancement with respect to the effect on innovation success. It is also concluded that benchmarking (through the application of the technical innovation audit tool) does guide the Chinese management toward deciding which innovation mechanisms to adopt so as to provide the basics for innovation success. Additionally, based on the case studies the interesting conclusion could be drawn: In the context of the Chinese economy in transition, the case companies with less openness to the market (i.e. with high government involvement) have a more widespread use of innovation mechanisms. Practical Implication: The last finding seems to contradict the positive relationship between market focus and innovativeness as suggested in ‘Western’ innovation management theories. For clarification we relate this to the way the SOEs deal with their adaptive cycle, thereby considering their way of dealing with (increased) complexity as compared to ‘Western’ companies (complexity absorption versus reduction). The considered cases are embedded in the institutional setting of China in transition. Therefore, the conclusions and findings enrich the theory of transition by revealing the point that entering an open market abruptly may not be the solution for SOEs, which are rooted in a socialist economy, to become more competitive and more innovative. This was mostly elaborated through the influence of the two main stakeholders (i.e. government and customer/end user) on the openness of the SOEs and their use of innovation mechanisms in China, the largest socialist system of the world. Originality/Value: This paper is based on a doctoral research project, containing reliable, first hand data from the practice

The Effective Implementation and Operation of Flexible Manufacturing Systems

Industries worldwide are being confronted with a number of intertwined changes in their environments. Markets are making more stringent demands and competition is increasing. In effect, companies are required to meet demands for efficiency, quality and flexibility simultaneously. At the same time, an ever-growing number of new computer-aided technologies are becoming available, which are supposed to provide adopters with the opportunity to respond adequately to present competition and market pressures. However, many companies seem to have difficulties with organising the adoption and implementation of new technology effectively. In the paper, a model is described, which has been shown to be a practicable tool for the effective organisation of manufacturing innovation, using case studies of the adoption and implementation of Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) [1].

How organisational politics explain IS implementation outcomes in hospitals

In the healthcare sector, the use of computer-based information systems (IS) offers a lot of new challenges. However, despite the compelling potential of the new technology, implementing IS in practice often turns out to be a pitfall. Concretely, the introduction of information systems, especially in hospitals, does not often come on time and on budget, nor does it always accomplish the initial organisational goals. We postulate that implementation failures occur to a great extent because organisations do not adequately manage the politics of information; especially healthcare organisations as they are par excellence political in nature. In our study, we elaborate in depth on the concept of organisational politics to understand the outcomes of IS implementation projects in hospitals. We propose a conceptual model that guides the empirical study of political processes in and around IS projects. Overall, our study seems to suggest that outcomes can be explained by the fact that stakeholders situated in a particular arena do tend to accept the standing power structures, even if these structures are built on bases that do not hold for the particular project environment.

Action research and soft systems methodology for studying problems in emergency care delivery

This article describes the use of action research (AR) and soft systems methodology (SSM) for studying and taking action in complex and unstructured problem situations. Drawing from AR and SSM principles, it proposes a research methodology to study and improve problematic flows of patients in emergency departments using operations management concepts. Three examples illustrate the methodology: analysis and improvement actions in acute radiology service, the design and introduction of a central status board and tests of an advanced triage system. This article concludes that an action mode of research is worthy of being pursued further, in emergency departments and beyond.

Strategic behaviour of institutional providers in mental handicapped care in the Netherlands.

PURPOSE The purpose of this paper is to describe an inventory of the strategic responses of institutional providers of mental handicapped care to the strengthening of consumer choice through a personal care budget (PCB). DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH Semi structured interviews were conducted among 26 providers covering 52 per cent of the total market volume of about 100,000 clients annually. FINDINGS A representative number of providers was included; on average a percentage below the national average of PCB users was found to be served. Of the 26 providers, 16 indicated adaption to their strategy in response to expected consumer empowerment The actual deployment of this response in the organisations seemed not to be very thorough or explicit. Surprisingly, as a growing part of PCB-clients choose alternative providers, no concerns were raised concerning the possible emergence of new service providers. ORIGINALITY/VALUE Although the market share of PCB users is growing fast and existing providers do not seem to absorb this accordingly, a lack of market analysis and strategic behaviour of the traditional providers in response to this development was found. Based on this research growth of market shares of disruptive service providers can very well be anticipated.