Ricardo Mateo

Components of sustainable improvement systems: theory and practice

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is twofold: to evaluate the importance of the factors reported in the literature as enablers of Continuous Improvement (CI) programmes and to determine the perception of managers of different companies in the Basque Country and Navarre (Spain) regarding the relevance of these factors to their improvement programmes.Design/methodology/approach – In total, 15 elements have been considered to be key issues for the sustainability of CI programmes. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 36 companies in order to assess how the companies value the factors and how the factors are applied and measured.Findings – The findings regarding the application and evaluation of such factors have revealed that companies are focused on the agents associated with the achievement of results. Other factors, such as management commitment or the promotion of team working, are highly scored and applied, but few companies evaluate them or take actions to improve their application.Originali...

Learning 5S principles from Japanese best practitioners: case studies of five manufacturing companies

The 5S methodology is a very appropriate way to initiate and achieve the process of continuous improvement. This paper studies management practices in successful Japanese companies in order to determine what 5S principles are behind them. After visiting and conducting interviews at five different plants, a multi-case study analysis was developed to identify the key aspects of the success of the implementation of 5S in Japan. Although each of the companies studied is different, there are commonalities that provide for interesting learning. As a result, best managerial practices based on 5S principles are explained, and the most important principles associated with the success of the 5S method are described and discussed.

Healthcare teamwork best practices: lessons for industry

Purpose – Since the field of healthcare was a latecomer to the quality movement, knowledge transfer has generally flowed in one direction, from industry to healthcare. However, organisations can also be enriched by healthcare. In particular, this paper aims to show industry that important lessons can be learned regarding how teamwork is generally managed within healthcare.Design/methodology/approach – To identify the useful lessons that healthcare can teach industry, the authors started with a brainstorming session among the members of the research team to pin‐point the lessons based on their experience with healthcare and industrial environments. Afterwards, an exhaustive review of the relevant literature from the last ten years was carried out.Findings – Industrial organisations need to develop teamwork frameworks focused on involving every employee in cross‐disciplinary, empowered and trained teams. Moreover, from a team perspective, special care must be shown when defining clear roles, focusing on end...

How Hospitals Choose a Quality Management System: Relevant Criteria in Large Spanish Hospitals

This article examines the selection criteria used by hospital managers when choosing a quality management system (QMS): ISO 9001, Joint Commission (JC), EFQM, or a combination of them. Furthermore, this study provides a view of how extensive is the use of QMS in the main Spanish hospitals. Between December 2004 and March 2005, a questionnaire was sent to Spanish hospitals of size > 400 beds. Of the 101 hospitals that met the conditions of research, 42 responded to the survey: a response index of 41.58% (95% reliability and maximum margin of error of 11.6%). We have deduced the selection criteria from a contents analysis of the three models. We have confirmed two hypotheses: first, that there are 16 relevant selection criteria for hospitals when deciding on a QMS; and secondly, that they choose QMS on the basis of the priority they attribute to given selection criteria. The data lead us to the following conclusion: implementation of QMS in Spanish hospitals is quite extensive: 71.4% use ISO 9001; 11.9% JC, and 69% EFQM. The combined use of ISO 9001 and EFQM (47.6%) has also been noted. 15 of 16 criteria have been shown to be relevant, and no new criteria have been discovered.

Teamwork effectiveness factors in healthcare and manufacturing industries

Purpose – Teamwork is one of the most powerful tools to ensure success across any activity. The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that actively contribute to the effectiveness of teams. This research looks at two different types of teams: care delivery teams representing healthcare and improvement teams representing the manufacturing industry. The aim is to provide greater knowledge about the application of team work factors in different environments.Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative interviews about teamwork factors were conducted with 17 leaders of teams from healthcare and 22 leaders from manufacturing industries. The responses were categorized into different levels according to the application of each factor. Then, the factors were analyzed to draw conclusions about the different approaches to teamwork and their application.Findings – Most of the factors analyzed are highly applied in both sectors. However, we found significant differences between hospitals and the manufacturing ...

On the relationship between continuous improvement programmes and their effect on quality defects: An automotive case study

By means of a case study of an automotive manufacturer, this paper aims to study the impact of a continuous improvement (CI) programme on quality defects. The analysis aims to ascertain if several independent variables such as production, CIs, and shifts are correlated to each of two dependent variables: internal quality defects and auditor quality defects (detected in the line). We gathered daily data for each shift of internal quality and auditor quality in a 12-month period. The defects considered and analysed through this study amounted to more than 68,000. This analysis could be useful as a methodology to evaluate the CI programmes of other manufacturers, since there is very little literature in terms of case studies or examples that focus on the daily struggle that manufacturers face when transforming these strategies into working practices.

Cognitive Reflection and the Diligent Worker: An Experimental Study of Millennials

Recent studies have shown that despite crucially needing the creative talent of millennials (people born after 1980) organizations have been reluctant to hire young workers because of their supposed lack of diligence. We propose to help resolve this dilemma by studying the determinants of task performance and shirking behaviors of millennials in a laboratory work environment. We find that cognitive ability is a good predictor of task performance in line with previous literature. In contrast with previous research, personality traits do not consistently predict either task performance or shirking behaviors. Shirking behaviors, as measured by the time participants spent browsing the internet for non-work purposes (Cyberloafing), were only explained by the performance on the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT). This finding echoes recent research in cognitive psychology according to which conventional measures of cognitive ability only assess a narrow concept of rational thinking (the algorithmic mind) that fails to capture individuals’ capacity to reflect and control their impulses. Our findings suggest that hiring diligent millennials relies on the use of novel cognitive measures such as CRT in lieu of standard personality and intelligence tests.

What motivates employees to participate in continuous improvement activities

Continuous improvement (CI) is still one of the strongest ways for companies to achieve process excellence in order to survive in nowadays’ competitive environments. Yet, it is still very difficult to implement and sustain CI systems, mainly because of the difficulty in engaging people in these activities. Based on an exhaustive literature review, followed by a three-round Delphi study with Spanish experts, this paper helps to assess what the main elements are with respect to the CI system that could motivate employees’ intention to participate in CI activities. Main results show 44 elements grouped into 10 factors that could affect employees’ intention to participate. These factors were structured into a more comprehensive model following an interpretive structural modelling approach.

Improving intranet knowledge transfer through resident engineers

Purpose – This research paper aims to explore how intranet mechanisms for knowledge transfer in a multinational automotive company can be improved with the inclusion of a human interface, specifically a resident engineer. A resident engineer is an assembly line employee who spends the majority of their time in the Advanced Engineering Center, which aims to improve knowledge transfer through face‐to‐face interaction.Design/methodology/approach – A multinational automotive company was selected for the study. Six years of data containing all product modifications were analyzed.Findings – The paper concludes that electronic knowledge transfer can be significantly improved when resident engineers physically interact with the Advanced Engineering Center. Intranet knowledge transfer alone cannot overcome the considerable handicap involved in knowledge assimilation.Practical implications – For companies with Advanced Engineering Centers located far from assembly‐line plants, the creation of specific human mechani...

The impact of a readiness program for implementing and sustaining continuous improvement processes

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe a readiness programme designed to increase employees’ awareness of order and cleanliness as a way of building the necessary foundation for implementing and sustaining continuous improvement processes. In this paper, the authors propose a new readiness programme based on the principles of 5S, with the aim of strengthening employees’ motivation and involvement prior to 5S being implemented. Design/methodology/approach The research is based on case study methodology, followed by a programme of four structured activities. The validity of the programme is shown through the implementation of the activities in two different organizations. Findings The readiness programme was applied before 5S was successfully implemented. The degree of awareness and motivation of the programme participants improved as a result of these activities. Moreover, the activities increased people’s motivation to participate in improvement activities. Originality/value Applying a readiness programme before implementing 5S can help organizations to achieve and sustain improvement activities, thus increasing worker commitment and motivation.