Sharon Jayne Williams

Lean implementation within SMEs: a literature review

Purpose – Lean business ideology has been one of the recent dominant research areas in operations management. However, there is a dearth of research focusing on Lean in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The purpose of this paper is to fill this gap by systematically reviewing the literature in relation to the implementation of Lean in SMEs. Design/methodology/approach – Tranfield et al.’s (2003) systematic review methodology was employed covering three stages: planning, conducting and reporting/dissemination. Findings – A descriptive analysis of the papers reviewed is provided. From the thematic analysis of the literature four main themes are identified: the scope/type of Lean being adopted by SMEs, how Lean is used in SMEs, the impact of Lean implementation on SMEs and the critical success factors for Lean implementation in SMEs. Key inhibitors and enablers related to firm size when implementing Lean are also identified in the concluding discussion. Research limitations/implications – Nine reco...

How did the publication of the book The Machine That Changed The World change management thinking? Exploring 25 years of lean literature

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to take a critical, analytical approach to explore the growth and spread of Lean through the academic and practitioner community over the last 25 years to understand the impact of the book The Machine that Changed the World on management thinking. Design/methodology/approach – A comprehensive and systematic review of the extant literature of lean was undertaken and analysed critically to observe patterns and trends that could explain the acceptance of Lean as an operations management philosophy. The review spans from 1987 to 2013. To enable us to effectively manage and understand the diffusion of this literature a database, the Lean Publications Database, was constructed. The number of publications has been adjusted to compensate for growth in the total number of articles published in the same period. Findings – Lean has evolved to be one of the best-known, yet fiercely debated, process improvement methodologies. It emerged during a proliferation of such methodologie...

Implementing change: the perspective of NHS change agents

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the change process that is required to support CANDO, a business improvement technique primarily associated with the manufacturing sector. It reviews the transferability of CANDO to a health setting and examines the effectiveness of this tool through the eyes of the change agents and implementers. The study draws on an ongoing empirical research study in the NHS.Design/methodology/approach – The methodology is a case study, combining semi‐structured interviews, observations and reflexive accounts.Findings – The results show that this improvement tool is an appropriate mechanism as a foundation for developing change agents and for creating change in health care. The capability and competence of the change agent is critical to the success of a change programme. Specific skills include developing people outside of their normal functional boundaries, redefining values and norms, motivating and energising others, translating terminology, setting the initiative w...

A supplier development programme: the SME experience

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and understand the learning opportunities that exist for smaller organisations within the context of a supplier development and business improvement environment.Design/methodology/approach – Through case study research two pilot activities are presented. These are co‐ordinated by a lead organisation (customer) and involve two micro firm suppliers.Findings – The research discusses the types of learning identified within two pilot activities and the benefits and issues for both the supplier and customer when undertaking development and improvement programmes. The results conclude that the collaborative nature of the supply chain environment is conducive to shared learning between the lead customer and the suppliers.Research limitations/implications – The case study approach taken for this exploratory research limits the generalisibility of the results. Yet, this research has started to understand how the smaller firm can benefit from supplier development ac...

CANDO: implementing change in an NHS Trust

Purpose – The objectives of the study are to identify and understand the environment, relationships and barriers for the key stakeholders in changing their workplace environment, and to negotiate and create an action plan to address the effectiveness issues in relation to rolling out CANDO across the Trust.Design/methodology/approach – This study has adopted a multi‐method approach using action learning/research, questionnaire, participant observation, and reflexive analysis.Findings – The results indicate that there are individual, group and system improvements, but to achieve these the training in CANDO has to be action based as the “knowing‐by‐doing” (not just the theory) has to be experienced, learnt, shared and disseminated to other teams.Research limitations/implications – As this is a pilot study, the findings are at a preliminary stage and therefore limit the generalisibility of the results. However, there has been an opportunity to test methodological instruments that will enable us to understand...

Managing and developing suppliers: can SCM be adopted by SMES?

The aim of the research is to investigate whether it is possible for the smaller organization to undertake supplier development activities. A review of the literature identifies that the furniture industry, on which this paper focuses, has been overlooked in terms of supply-chain (SC) research. This research adopted a case-study approach, which included both with the lead organization (assembler/customer) and a number of their suppliers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with various personnel within the lead organization and their suppliers. Company documentation and field notes were also employed. A three-stage model was used to communicate the different activities that the assembler employed in order to engage their suppliers. This model details the internal and external drivers for change and the outcomes in terms of approved suppliers and preferred suppliers, and eventually working towards strategic partners. The findings include the benefits of SC activities that the smaller organization can achieve, but also consider the issues around limited resources. The paper concludes that supply-chain management is appropriate for the smaller organization and recommends further testing of the generic model proposed by this study.

Methodology challenges associated with benchmarking healthcare supply chains

It is vital that auditing tools used by researchers and managers yield valid assessments and meaningful comparisons irrespective of the organisational setting. The Quick Scan Audit Methodology (QSAM) offers such a systematic approach by utilising multiple data collection methods and a codified value stream uncertainty measure to assess supply chain performance. Although previously only employed within the private sector, this article explores the use of QSAM to benchmark the pharmaceutical value streams in eight Australasian public sector hospitals, which are best characterised as having multi-layered and complex subsystems. Transferability of the QSAM methodology to public healthcare supply chains is critiqued and needed modifications are described. The audits also reveal that high levels of system uncertainty are negatively impacting the provision of critically important healthcare supplies.

Squaring the circle of healthcare supplies

PURPOSE The purpose of this paper is to use a systems lens to assess the comparative performance of healthcare supply chains and provide guidance for their improvement. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH A well-established and rigorous multi-method audit methodology, based on the uncertainty circle model, yields an objective assessment of value stream performance in eight Australasian public sector hospitals. Cause-effect analysis identifies the major barriers to achieving smooth, seamless flows. Potentially high-leverage remedial actions identified using systems thinking are examined with the aid of an exemplar case. FINDINGS The majority of the healthcare value streams studied are underperforming compared with those in the European automotive industry. Every public hospital appears to be caught in the grip of vicious circles of system uncertainty, in large part being caused by problems of their own making. The single exception is making good progress towards seamless functional integration, which has been achieved by elevating supply chain management to a core competence; having a clearly articulated supply chain vision; adopting a systems approach; and, managing supplies with accurate information. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS The small number of cases limits the generalisability of the findings at this time. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS Hospital supply chain managers endeavouring to achieve smooth and seamless supply flows should attempt to elevate the status of supplies management within their organisation to that of a core competence, and should use accurate information to manage their value streams holistically as a set of interwoven processes. A four-level prism model is proposed as a useful framework for thus improving healthcare supply delivery systems. ORIGINALITY/VALUE Material flow concepts originally developed to provide objective assessments of value stream performance in commercial settings are adapted for use in a healthcare setting. The ability to identify exemplar organisations via a context-free uncertainty measure, and to use systems thinking to identify high-leverage solutions, supports the transfer of appropriate best practices even between organisations in dissimilar business and economic settings.

Service postponement: translating manufacturing postponement to service operations

Purpose – The paper aims to explore the application of manufacturing postponement in a service setting. Design/methodology/approach – In elaborating on the many key differences between goods and services highlighted in the literature, it has been argued that postponement strategies developed in manufacturing have a potential for improving service performance. The authors then examine the implications of postponement for the service push-pull boundary and the line of visibility. Findings – A focus on postponement at the service push-pull boundary enables more activities to be performed in advance. Its benefits include reducing costs and shortening service delivery time. Postponement can also assist service providers in re-locating the line of visibility to develop a more effective service operation. Originality/value – While the significant economic benefits of postponement have been documented in manufacturing companies, the literature has also mentioned the potential role of postponement in service. However, very little has been written with respect to the exploitation of the transferability and applicability of postponement to a service setting. In this paper, the authors have explored what value postponement might have to offer for service operations. The application of postponement has a potential for service performance akin to what is expected of a manufacturing organisation.

Making sense of leadership development: Developing a community of education leaders

In education literature there is a distinct lack of scholarly work on issues of leadership other than on functional leadership at lower levels or high-level individual leadership activity which dominates existing studies. This empirical research is based on the result of a merger of education providers within the North East of England. A crucial aspiration of the newly merged organisation was to provide an overarching innovative leadership structure to facilitate integrated leadership. The specific focus of this article is participants of a bespoke postgraduate learning intervention. The authors apply sense-making theory to identify how student-leaders undertaking a leadership development intervention developed to become a community of education leaders. The reflective accounts of the student-leaders indicated a combined approach of distributed, shared and collaborative leadership. Whilst the study was conducted in the UK, the concepts and ideas are likely to have international application.