Terrence R Sloan

Continuous improvement and learning in the supply chain

This paper reports on research into continuous improvement and learning in logistics. It is generally acknowledged that in todays dynamic and turbulent environment, firms have to develop capabilities that allow them to be very flexible and agile, and at the same time, be able to incorporate new (product and process) technologies that enable them to develop and exploit better practices in supply chains. This flexibility and agility calls for companies to increase their effectiveness, exploit synergies, and learn throughout all areas of their operations. This research extends a model developed by Australian and European researchers who examined learning in the product innovation process. The research developed a model of continuous innovation in the product development process and a methodology for mapping learning behaviours (termed the CIMA methodology) that was the starting point for this project. This paper focuses on ten case studies of Australian and Singaporean companies operating distribution centres.

Learning as a competitive advantage: innovative training in the Australian aerospace industry

For firms to survive in the highly competitive Aerospace Component Supply Market, they must have some sustainable competitive advantages. Customers are demanding continual price reductions and improvements in lead times from their suppliers. In the Asia Pacific region, developing economies such as China, Indonesia and Malaysia are prepared to support the aerospace industry through government intervention. Lacking such support, Australian companies such as Hawker De Havilland (HdH) must compete on price and lead-time in a relatively high wage market to survive. The major competitive advantage HdH enjoys is the knowledge and skill of its workforce. This study examines strategies HdH has put in place to enable them to maintain their competitive position by creating a learning organisation.

Occupational clusters as determinants of organisational learning in the product innovation process

The importance of innovation to the survival of organisations in a turbulent environment has led to greater emphasis on improving the innovation process. Where learning is captured and applied to existing and current innovation processes, the opportunity exists for improvement in innovation processes. Research has been undertaken with the objective of developing, testing and disseminating a methodology to facilitate product innovation. Presents an analysis of clusters of learning behaviours and identifies variations between different occupational clusters. Examines aspects of occupational culture and problems associated with examining organisations learning from a single perspective.

Lean in healthcare – history and recent developments

Purpose – This editorial briefly outlines present applications of lean systems applications in healthcare and then summarises the contributions to this special edition. Design/methodology/approach – A brief background to lean is introduced to provide the context for the subsequent papers in this special issue Findings – The requirements for successful introduction of Lean Systems Thinking (LST) to healthcare organizations share much in common with the requirements for the initial introduction of lean to manufacturing organizations. However, introducing LST in healthcare is further complicated by the necessity of navigating complex social and organisational structures associated with the professional identities of healthcare practitioners. Originality/value – Though there has been a recent increase in the reported research on LST in healthcare, these reports have focused on the gains achieved through the application of lean tools and techniques. This work explores the under-reported socio-technical aspects that greatly affect the success of lean interventions.

Linking team competences to organisational capacities in healthcare

Palliative care is a complex environment in which teams of healthcare professionals are constantly challenged to match the configuration of care delivery to suit the dynamics of the patients bio-medical, social and spiritual situations as they change during the end-of-life process. In such an environment these teams need to engage in ongoing interaction between different professional disciplines, incremental improvement in care delivery, learning and radical innovation. This is aimed at combining operational effectiveness, strategic flexibility, exploitation and exploration, in a way that ensures the best possible care for the patient. This paper examines previous research on the management competences and the organisational capabilities necessary for continuous innovation, and analyses evidence emerging from a study of palliative care. Work on the relationships between innovation capacities, organisational capabilities and team-based competence is drawn together. Evidence is presented from research into the management of innovation in palliative care.

Palliative care teams and individual behaviours

This paper is the second in a series that will examine the management of innovation by cross‐functional, multidisciplinary patient care teams in palliative care. Two further outcomes of this research are reported here. The first is that within palliative care a number of distinct individual behaviours are identified that act as foundations for the successful development and application of innovative practices by multidisciplinary teams. The second is that interviews with multidisciplinary palliative care teams in case studies in Australia confirm the existence and use of these behaviours. Individual behaviours within these teams are found to fall into two groups: those used by palliative care professionals when working with patients and patient‐based carers; and those used by professionals when dealing with each other away from patients. The purpose of both groups is to generate useful valid information, knowledge and learning that can be transferred across boundaries regardless of boundary type or location.

Opportunities and Challenges of M-commerce Adoption in Bangladesh:An Empirical Study

The objective of this research is to explore the opportunities and challenges of m-commerce adoption in Bangladesh. An empirical study is conducted to see the user’s perception on this issue. The country has experienced a sheer adoption of mobile phone, around 70%, one of the biggest advantages for m-commerce adoption. Findings indicate a positive trend of m-commerce uptake in Bangladesh. More than 60% of the survey participants used mobile internet although mobile broadband, the key feature for m-commerce, has not been available in the country until the time of the study. Adoption of mobile financial services is also promising; for example, 40.5% used mobile balance transfer. Users of mobile billing (28%), mobile ticketing (21%), mobile remittance (16%) and mobile banking or SMS banking (10%) are also growing. Network infrastructure has continually been upgraded with the advance technologies including the recent launch of 3G mobile network. Study found that the lack of trust and literacy are the two major challenges of m-commerce growth in Bangladesh. Stakeholders need to make strategic plans to deal with these challenges and opportunities for rapid uptake of m-commerce in Bangladesh.

Dispersion of continuous improvement and its impact on continuous improvement

Building on a volume of previous work on CI in the supply chain based on the CIMA model, this paper significantly extends the work of Sloan et al. (2005) and Sloan and Sloan (2006) by examining the individual contribution of all organisational departments to organisational CI. We also examine connections between CI dispersion in the organisation and motivations for the implementation of CI; organisational experience with CI; problems encountered with CI implementation; and support and tools used in implementing and monitoring CI. Findings of this study provide support for the proposition that dispersed CI enhances the business performance benefits of CI and that the experience of CI was more positive in firms where CI was dispersed, with fewer implementation problems and higher levels of support and measurement tools. Management in organisations should give serious consideration to strategies which enhance the spread of CI activities throughout their organisations.

Learning to compete: post‐graduate training in an aerospace company

Over a period of nearly five years a large number of technology oriented employees in an Australian aerospace company were exposed to a wide variety of post‐graduate coursework modules intended to add a business management perspective to the technology background of those employees. Not all of the students had prior experience with university education, but some of these people completed Masters degrees. Their experience is also discussed. Over the duration of the program the company was in a constant state of significant change. The number of employees initially increased, adding a further training load, but later on the number of employees decreased and the program was wound back. This paper looks at how the program was integrated with work, the perceived upsides and downsides several years down the track, and the influence of organisational culture on the learning styles of the participants.

Linking team competences to organisational capacity

Palliative care is a complex environment in which teams of health care professionals are constantly challenged to match the configuration of care delivery to suit the dynamics of the whole of a patient’s bio‐medical, social and spiritual situations as they change during the end of life process. In such an environment these teams need to engage in ongoing interaction between different professional disciplines, incremental improvement in care delivery, learning and radical innovation. This is aimed at combining operational effectiveness and strategic flexibility, exploitation and exploration in a way that ensures the best possible end of life experience for the patient. This paper examines previous research on the management competences and the organisational capabilities necessary for continuous innovation, and analyses evidence emerging from a study of palliative care. Work on the relationships between innovation capacities, organisational capabilities and team‐based competence is drawn together. Evidence is presented from research into the management of innovation in palliative care.