Rupert L. Matthews

Organisational ambidexterity within process improvement: An exploratory study of four project-oriented firms

Purpose – Organisational ambidexterity has emerged as a new research paradigm that is relevant for promoting long-term firm performance however, research within practice-oriented domains has been limited. The purpose of this paper is to explore process improvement through the theoretical lens of organisational ambidexterity to understanding the conflicting aims of variation increasing and decreasing forms of operational process improvement. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on reviews of both operations and strategic management literature, the paper employs a case study methodology to unpack critical aspects of ambidextrous process improvement across a range of organisational environments. Findings – The research shows that while the companies engaged in qualitatively different forms of improvement, by interpreting practices from an ambidextrous perspective, the complimentary nature of the two forms of improvement could be appreciated. The diversity of firms involved in the research also allowed findi...

Unlocking supply chain disruption risk within the Thai beverage industry

Purpose – A growing need for global sourcing of business has subjected firms to higher levels of uncertainty and increased risk of supply disruption. Differences in industry and infrastructure make it more difficult for firms to manage supply disruption risks effectively. The purpose of this paper is to extend developing research in this area by addressing gaps within existing literature related to environmental turbulence and uncertainties. Design/methodology/approach – The authors test the model using data collected from 253 senior managers and directors in the Thai beverage industry using advanced statistical techniques to explore the relationship between representations of supply disruption risk and uncertainty. Findings – The results show that both magnitude and probability of risk impact on the disruption risk, but the probability of loss is a dominant determinant. The authors also find that demand uncertainty and quality uncertainty affect the risk perception of purchasing managers, and are related...

Continuous, quality and process improvement: disintegrating and reintegrating operational improvement?

Recent interest in strategic initiatives, in particular Six Sigma, appear to relate to three forms of improvement: continuous improvement, quality improvements and process improvement. The similarities between these approaches have led to some confusion within the literature and raise the question whether these approaches are tautological. This paper argues against this by firstly exploring the nuances of these three areas. Based upon a systematic literature review of operations management journals, insight is developed by exploring the three terms individually and then in combination, resulting in the presentation of a number of research propositions to guide further research. To extend our understanding of operational improvement, organisational learning is identified as a common theoretical perspective employed within each of the three forms of improvements. Organisational learning is subsequently utilised to underpin the relationship between the three terms, highlighting the need for both operational and strategic improvement, drawing upon strategic management literature. These are presented in the form of a conceptual model, in addition to further research propositions. The paper concludes by presenting future research opportunities identified by the work in the form of construct development, exploratory case study research and survey work to test the presented model and propositions.