O.A.M. Fisscher

Balanced relationships: management of client–supplier relationships in product development

In strongly competing markets, such as the automotive industry, collaboration between clients (e.g., OEM) and suppliers is changing. Ford and Chrysler are examples of companies that no longer consider suppliers as mere component producers, but as partners in the creation of innovative products. Clients outsource not only production of parts to suppliers, but also the development of parts and increasingly the development of complete (sub)systems. Collaboration in product development between client and supplier is becoming more and more important. Management of collaboration is, however, extremely complex given the number of unsuccessful collaborative efforts. Apparently, problems in managing collaboration are different from the problems managers are used to encountering. However, little is known yet about the problems in collaborative projects between clients and suppliers. In this paper, a number of problems in collaborative projects will be identified. The paper is based on case studies in three Dutch companies involved in changing client?supplier relationships.

Organizing product-oriented environmental management from a firm’s perspective

Environmental characteristics of products are increasingly investigated. Much research focuses on environmental implications of design decisions and on methods to determine and influence products’ environmental impacts. Less attention is paid to the organizational consequences of such insights. This paper aims to contribute to this discussion by describing and analyzing organizational aspects of product-oriented environmental management (POEM) from an individual firm’s perspective. Important motives for firms to engage in POEM are addressing stakeholder interests and obtaining a competitive advantage. Specific capabilities are required to organize POEM. In the process of building such capabilities, managerial decision-makers play an important role. Two case studies from the chemical industry provide interesting viewpoints on the organization of POEM: creating sufficient flexibility, a broad involvement across functions, and a managerial ability to identify and build the required capabilities are proposed as important factors in the process of organizing POEM.

Successful Patterns of Internal SME Characteristics Leading to High Overall Innovation Performance

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) struggle with the paradox of developing new products and technologies on the one hand and minimizing costs on the other. These SMEs must be innovative to survive and grow. However, compared to large firms, SMEs have several problems in their innovation process, which negatively influence their overall innovation performance. This research explores successful patterns of internal SME characteristics that lead to high overall innovation performance. Cluster analyses were conducted to find patterns in the internal characteristics of SMEs with high overall innovation performance. We find that companies that focus on incremental innovation and that achieve high overall innovation performance indeed share a pattern in their internal organization, when controlling for innovation type. The paper adds to the current body of knowledge by comparing high- and low-performing companies based on competence differences. Because real-life organizations consist of multiple organizational characteristics, we also contribute to management practice by simultaneously addressing multiple organizational characteristics for the successful organization of innovation.

An examination of strategies employed for the integration of management systems

Purpose – This paper is an empirical study of the organisational approaches used for integration of management systems (MSs) and the comparative effectiveness of such approaches.Design/methodology/approach – Research employed four case studies. Results are derived from the analysis of triangulated evidence obtained from in‐depth interviews, observations, internal documents analysis, archives, and short questionnaires.Findings – Results identified two archetypes of integration strategies termed “systems approach” and “techno‐centric approach”. Maximum benefits are achieved by using a systems approach to integration of MSs, while using the techno‐centric approach leads to benefits mainly at the operational level.Research limitations/implications – This research is qualitative and, as such, does not investigate the integration of MSs across a large number of organisations. The research does not investigate the causality between strategies employed for integration and their outcomes.Originality/value – There ...

Meta-management of integration of management systems

Purpose – The realm of standardized management systems (MSs) has expanded greatly over the last two decades. This expansion has highlighted the need for structured approaches to facilitate the integration of these systems. The purpose of this paper is to explore the integration of standardized MSs through a meta‐management approach.Design/methodology/approach – An extensive survey of literature was carried out. Based on the literature review, a comprehensive framework was developed to guide the integration of standardized MSs. The framework is based on the “direction‐consistency‐coherence‐feedback” cycle.Findings – A critical review of existing models and methodologies for the integration of standardized MSs highlighted the need for a systems‐oriented approach to integration based on stakeholder needs. The review further highlighted that the integration of MSs must be carried out at the meta‐level of organisational control. This focuses integration efforts on a higher level of abstraction, logic, and inqu...

Managing technology as a virtual enterprise

The complexity of R&D projects and growing international competition are factors leading to more co‐operation especially among small and medium‐sized firms. But even large integrated firms are often not willing or able to perform the necessary amount of R&D and to cope with the uncertainty associated with radical innovations. In a virtual company, members form a network, thereby enabling projects to be pursued by combining member’s resources. Specific assets of a virtual company are its flexibility and ability to handle variety. Costs of co‐ordination and motivation are lowered if the virtual company succeeds in building trust and commitment. On the other hand, lack of these pose severe problems. In markets with a strong scientific‐technological basis and rapid rate of change the concept of a virtual organization seems appealing. High R&D costs and risks can be shared, developments and time‐to‐market can be accelerated and the partners can concentrate on their respective core competencies. In the paper we use an example from the biotechnology industry as a case study and discuss some of the theoretical and practical problems that are encountered in the virtual enterprise.

The evaluation of the introduction of a quality management system: A process-oriented case study in a large rehabilitation hospital

OBJECTIVES So far, there is limited proof concerning the effects of the introduction of quality management systems (QMS) on organisational level. This study concerns the introduction of a QMS in a large rehabilitation hospital. METHODS Using an observational framework, a process-analysis is performed. The effects were analysed with repeated analyses using the Dutch version of the EFQM-model. RESULTS The introduction of a QMS can be seen as a change process; the pre-change diagnosis proved to be essential. Although many change-related aspects are vital, training and communication, in particular, seemed to be underestimated. Outcomes are a positive correlation between participation in quality activities and work satisfaction and a repeatedly favourable EFQM-score (compared to national levels). CONCLUSIONS Through a process-analysis, information could be generated to guide organisations in introducing a QMS. An outcome analysis revealed positive effects both in the EFQM-score and the staffs work satisfaction.

Senior Management Support in the New Product Development Process

This paper studies the relationship between senior management support to new product development activities by means of a quantitative and qualitative analysis of questionnaire and interview data collected in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The quantitative analysis showed that there is a small to medium association between senior management support to new product development and project performance in the dimensions of time, cost, and end product quality. The qualitative analysis suggests that these weak links could be explained by separating the influence of senior management support on new product development activities into direct and indirect effects. Direct effects include issues such as the use of multifunctional senior teams and process champions, whereas indirect effects include issues such as organization mission and goals, and learning and knowledge management systems.

Dynamics in Responsible Behaviour In Search of Mechanisms for Coping with Responsibility

In this article the authors focus on the emergence, or disappearance, of notions of responsibility in social dynamic processes. Hence, the starting point in this article is concrete behavior within organisational settings. This article presents a systematic overview of mechanisms related to acting upon a sense of moral responsibility. Some of these mechanisms are based on individual characteristics, others are embedded in the social context wherein responsible behaviour emerges or disappears. In this article, various mechanisms are identified and labelled in order to analyse what types of processes are behind the mechanisms. In this way, the article yields important understandings for the conscious use of these mechanisms to strengthen responsible behavior within organisations.

Methodological considerations on the assessment of the implementation of quality management systems

Quality management systems (QMS) can be considered as an emerging management technology in health care. It is as yet not common to perform assessment of such technology in order to obtain relevant information on the added value. In this paper the specific aspects of the assessment of a quality management system are explored and various designs are presented. Based on the experiences of performing an evaluation of a QMS in a rehabilitation hospital an improved design for an evaluation study is presented.