Roberto Filippini

TQM impact on quality conformance and customer satisfaction : A causal model

Total quality management (TQM) has had considerable success in terms of its implementation in companies. It has also been the subject of many studies in recent years. It seems, however, that there are some shortcomings in the research on this subject and in particular the lack of an adequate theoretical formulation suitable for empirical research. This study proposes and elaborates a model which examines TQM practices (orientation towards quality, TQM links with customers, TQM links with suppliers, process control, human resources) in relation to two dimensions of quality performance: quality conformity and customer satisfaction. The model is constructed on the basis of established theory building approaches and on well-known criteria of evaluation of theoretical contribution. The model is empirically tested on data gathered on a stratified random sample of manufacturing plants through the application of valid and reliable measures. The model is tested using structural equation Modelling. The results show the existence of two distinct paths of direct influences which lead, respectively, to customer satisfaction and quality conformance.

Operations management research: some reflections on evolution, models and empirical studies in OM

Introduces the special issue and starts with an overview of the evolution of OM studies. Examines the development of OM research, particularly in the 1980s and 1990s, both as regards topics and research approaches involved. Reflects on the problems and perspectives of the OM research which has been carried out on this question. Taking into account the fact that empirical research is assuming an increasingly important role in OM, seeks to highlight the need to improve the quality of such research and, especially, that of the survey, in order to support theory development in this field.

A framework for analysing business performance, firm innovation and related contextual factors: perceptions of managers and policy makers in two European regions

The aim of this paper is to propose a novel reference framework that can be used to study how different kinds of innovation can result in better business performance and how external factors can influence both the firm’s capacity to innovate and innovation itself. The value of the framework is demonstrated as it is applied in an exploratory study of the perceptions of public policy makers and managers from two European regions – the Veneto Region in Italy and the East of England in the UK. Amongst other things, the data gathered suggest that managers are generally less convinced than public policy makers, that the innovativeness of a firm is affected by factors over which policy makers have some control. This finding poses the question “what, if any, role can public policy makers play in enhancing a company’s competitiveness by enabling it to become more innovative?”

The intellectual structure of organizational ambidexterity: A bibliographic investigation into the state of the art

The recent development of the ambidexterity theme stems from the recognition that firms today increasingly have to deal with contrasting and conflicting goals such as incremental vs. radical innovation, exploration vs. exploitation (March, 1991), alignment vs. adaptability (Gibson and Birkinshaw, 2004), and many others. Understanding and managing tensions as well as succeeding in simultaneously accomplishing high levels of both the poles causing such tensions are essential to firms’ competitiveness and survival (O’Reilly and Tushman, 2004, 2008). Organizations able to do so possess the ambidexterity capability, namely the capability of a complex and adaptive system to achieve and manage conflicting activities, by realizing high levels of both in a simultaneous way. Although ambidexterity capability is a relatively young theme in literature, today it has become a central concept in management research, receiving many contributions from various research streams. Since the pioneering work of Tushman and O’Reilly (1996), the ambidexterity construct has been used in many managerial and academic papers. If we examine these papers, we can see that almost all agree that ambidexterity is an organizational capability that makes it possible to resolve different tensions that arise within an organization. Several types of tensions (e.g., alignment vs. adaptability, comfort of the past vs. uncertainty of the future, exploration vs. exploitation of business, exploitation vs. exploration of knowledge) are taken into consideration by these papers thus making the ambidexterity literature seem quite fragmented. This discrepancy in the types of tensions considered is largely due to the fact that the concept of ambidexterity has been used in many fields, and each time assumes a different theoretical literature stream as reference (see Raisch and Birkinshaw [2008] for a detailed description of these literature fields). In such a scenario, characterized by seemingly disordered development across different areas of research, a number of interesting questions arise:

Manufacturing Strategy in Global Markets: An Operations Management Model

Suggests a conceptual model for operations that can be utilized in identifying the most significant opportunities and decisions in order to obtain competitive advantages in global industries. The model considers the following elements: competitive advantages, the performance of the operating system (as sources of competitive advantage) and the four phases of the so‐called operation value chain: design, purchasing, production and distribution. The study of the implications on production strategy deriving from globalization is carried out using three groups of strategic decision categories: organization and management, management systems, technologies. The crossing of the three groups of strategic decision categories and the four operations phases identifies a matrix with twelve areas of opportunities and decisions for realization of global‐type strategies. The proposed model makes it possible to identify the emergence of three paradigms in global industries regarding performance and behaviour of companies:...

Modularity and the impact on new product development time performance: Investigating the moderating effects of supplier involvement and interfunctional integration

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of product modularity on new product development (NPD) time performance, and the moderating effects of interfunctional integration and supplier involvement on the product modularity‐time performance relationship.Design/methodology/approach – The paper analyzes data from a sample of 186 manufacturing plants settled in several countries, and operating in mechanical, electronic and transportation equipment sectors. Three hypotheses are tested through a hierarchical regression analysis.Findings – Data analyses show that product modularity has a direct positive effect on NPD time performance, and that interfunctional integration positively moderates the product modularity‐time performance relationship. Finally, this research does not support the hypothesis that a positive interaction effect exists between product modularity and supplier involvement.Research limitations/implications – Future research should replicate and extend the model to samples dr...

The Impacts of Time Performance and Market Knowledge Competence on New Product Success: An International Study

Speed of development, speed to market, and meeting market needs are often recommended in the new product development (NPD) literature as keys to successful product launches, but it is not clear how market knowledge competence and time performance are related in driving successful NPD. To find out, we analyzed 250 firms from four countries (Germany, Italy, Japan, and USA). We found the two factors to be complementary, i.e., both direct and interaction effects of speed and market knowledge on product success were found. In particular, the strong effect of market knowledge competence on product success is noteworthy because building market knowledge competence is a strategy that management can proactively utilize to cope with market uncertainty, which has been argued to moderate the time performance relationship in NPD. The implication is that both measures of effectiveness (matching needs) and efficiency (speed) need to be considered complementarily when managing for successful NPD.

Sequences of operational improvements: some empirical evidence

Looks at the improvement initiatives which companies implement in operations, in the areas of design, supply and production. A number of initiatives are considered, including design computerization, flexible automation, linkages with suppliers and JIT. In the literature these initiatives have been given different names, such as technical and organizational innovations or best manufacturing practices. Using survey data, the paper examines the question of the existence of different sequences followed by companies to innovate their operations. A sample of 125 US, Japanese and Italian companies belonging to the electronics, machinery and transport industries is analysed. On the basis of the initiative start‐up year, four different sequences have been found. They are different in terms of two dimensions: one is the type of initiatives launched at the beginning, and the other is the level of selectiveness of the companies in launching the initiatives. The sequences have been labelled Hard Full Adopters, Hard Discriminators, Soft Full Adopters and Soft Discriminators. Company characteristics, such as the country of location, and context factors such as export, and length of product life cycle have emerged as discriminating factors between the sequences.

Direct and Mediated Effects of Product Modularity on Development Time and Product Performance

Abstract - Product modularity is considered a crucial driver for the improvement of new product development (NPD) performance, in terms of NPD time and product performance. However, quantitative studies demonstrating these links are scant, and some authors have expressed various doubts on whether a clear relationship between NPD time or product performance and modularity always exists. This paper analyzes the impact of product modularity on these performance dimensions, and the mediating effect of supplier involvement in NPD on “modularity- NPD time” and “modularity-product performance” relationships. Data from a sample of 201 manufacturing plants settled in several countries around the world demonstrate that the impact of product modularity is partially mediated by the involvement of suppliers in NPD. The practical implication for managers is that to fully exploit product modularity benefits, it is opportune to combine modularity with supplier integration practices.

Does patenting influence SME sales performance? A quantity and quality analysis of patents in Northern Italy

Purpose – In today’s economy, intangibles have become more important than physical assets for firm success. In particular, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) registered an increasing trend in patenting, exceeding large firms in the number of patent registrations. In this context, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the association between patents and SME sales performance, taking into consideration also patent quality. Design/methodology/approach – The approach uses panel regression model to investigate the relationship between patenting and sales, controlling for firm size and firm age. The authors adopt a purposive sampling technique focusing on a sample of Italian SMEs in the mechanical industry. Findings – The results show that the count of patents do not have any effect on sales performance, while the number of jurisdictions where the protection is extended produces a positive and significant result. Practical implications – The main implication for SME entrepreneurs and managers is that rel...