Terry Sloan

Inter-relationships between innovation and market orientation in SMEs

Purpose – This study aims to explore the nature of the interactions between two strategies, innovation and market orientation. By examining the components of these constructs the paper seeks to identify key components of market orientation that are antecedent factors of the innovation performance of the firm.Design/methodology/approach – Correlation analysis was undertaken on data from a survey of 73 manufacturing firms in the Greater Western Sydney economic development zone in Australia. The data were supplemented by information obtained from the firms annual reports.Findings – Innovation was found to be positively correlated to market orientation (customer orientation, competitor orientation and inter‐functional co‐ordination) and both of these constructs were found to be positively correlated to firm performance and the degree of change in the firms competitive environment.Research limitations/implications – Possible limitations are: the low survey response rate; the nature of the sampled population;...

Performance measurement and continuous improvement: are they linked to manufacturing strategy?

To maintain or achieve competitiveness and profitability, a manufacturing firm or enterprise must respond to a range of challenges, including rapid improvements in technology; declining employment and output; globalisation of markets and environmental requirements. In addition, substantial changes in government policy have had important impacts in many countries, as have the increasing levels of global trade. Manufacturing enterprises need to have a clear understanding of what their customers want and why customers purchase their products rather than purchase from their competitors. They need to fully understand the aims of the business in terms of its customers, market segments, product attributes, geographical markets and performance. Continuous Improvement (CI) methods have become widely adopted and regarded as providing an important component of increased company competitiveness. This article examines the extent to which continuous improvement activities have contributed to the different areas of business performance.

Large firms versus small firms ‐ do they implement CI the same way?

An Australia‐wide study of continuous improvement (CI) in manufacturing was initiated in 1996/97 by conducting a benchmarking survey examining the CI activities of medium to large manufacturing firms. While most larger firms have an awareness of CI and many are actively implementing CI throughout their organisations, anecdotal evidence suggests that considerably less activity is occurring in the small‐to‐medium enterprise (SME) sector. Given the significant contribution of the SME sector to Australia’s GDP and international competitiveness, and the importance of CI to all firms regardless of size or industry, a sample of small‐ to medium‐size firms in New South Wales were surveyed about their CI activities. This paper reports on a comparative analysis of the findings of these two surveys and examines the firms’ main motives for CI, content in the CI process, support for CI, the usage of problem‐solving tools within CI process, and their general maturity level of CI. The comparison suggests that many motives for CI and the general content of the CI process are quite similar for both large and small firms. However, significant differences occur between the two when comparing CI support methods, and the use of problem‐solving tools within the CI process.

Continuous improvement in Australian manufacturing firms: findings of a survey in New South Wales

As in many industrialised nations, the manufacturing sector in Australia has been forced into rapid change in recent years due to the twin pressures of rapid industry deregulation and increasing business globalisation. These pressures have resulted in dramatic increases in competition in most market segments and industry rationalisation in many previously protected industry sectors. Manufacturing companies that wish to survive and prosper into the new millennium will have to adopt flexible strategies, leading-edge technologies and an acceptance of change across all levels in the company workforce. One approach to counteract these pressures being used successfully in many Japanese and European companies is continuous improvement (CI), defined here as “a company wide process of focused and continuous incremental innovation” (Bessant, 1994). As part of an international study examining CI in medium to large manufacturing firms, survey responses from 203 firms based in New South Wales, Australia, with turnovers greater than Aus

Changing culture through empowerment

10 million, have been analysed in order to determine the level of CI implementation and the tools and techniques used in such implementation. General conclusions from the study suggest that while awareness of the importance and value of CI is widespread amongst these firms, implementation is frequently limited to manufacturing and operations areas; employees below senior management level have little or no involvement in direction setting; quality improvement and cost reduction are by far the main drivers for CI activities; and adoption of specific tools and techniques is generally limited to the basic problem-solving and process-analysis tools.

A decade of change in Australia's DBA landscape

Much has been made of the need to empower employees at all levels of an organisation. There must be a genuine willingness on the part of management and workers to work together to ensure that empowerment will be accepted and succeed. Among those organisations which are prepared to bear the cost of training and multiskilling their employees, training is often ineffective and firms do not realise benefits from their investment. How can training be delivered to maximise the probability that the workers will learn and be able to implement new skills? Reports on a success story in a multi‐site manufacturing organisation which was able to train operations workers on the job, and by using active learning techniques demonstrate to the organisation the benefits of training. The reasons behind these changes, the effectiveness of the training programme, and the views of workers on the factory floor are examined. Interviews indicate that the success of the training programme, combined with other tactics, has seen real cultural change taking pace in the organisation, and workers believe they have been empowered.

Learning strategies and CI: lessons from several small to medium Australian manufacturers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the dynamics of the Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) in Australia through the lens of a changing higher education landscape. The paper reflects on issues raised in a previous analysis of DBA programmes undertaken a decade ago, and highlights persistent challenges and emerging opportunities for professional Doctorate programmes in the Australian context. Design/methodology/approach – Interviews were undertaken with higher degree research directors, deans of graduate schools, and DBA programme directors from all 18 Australian institutions offering the DBA in 2013. Quantitative data on enrolments, accreditation requirements, course structures; and demographics are contextualised within a qualitative view of programme purposes, student and institutional motivations, rationales and concerns. Particular focus is given to perceptions of the difference between traditional research doctorates (PhDs) and professional doctorates, especially the DBA. Finding...

Trialability, observability and risk reduction accelerating individual innovation adoption decisions

Australian manufacturers need to develop strategies that will enable them to compete in the Asia‐Pacific region. Australia is regarded as a high wage economy so can rarely compete solely on price. Once they are able to deliver a quality product at an acceptable price to remain competitive they must get the most out of their existing resources, particularly their workforce. CI is a widely recognised low cost strategic process for improving a manufacturing operation. This paper examines five small to medium manufacturers and uses a mapping tool that measures the extent of learning within the firms. If firms using CI are to fully benefit from the learning process then they must have a strategy in place that ensures knowledge is captured and the workforce is willing to transfer knowledge throughout the organisation.

Framing the socialisation process of the DBA candidate: what can universities offer and what should candidates bring?

PURPOSE The purpose of this paper is to provide a retrospective analysis of computer simulations role in accelerating individual innovation adoption decisions. The process innovation examined is Lean Systems Thinking, and the organizational context is the imaging department of an Australian public hospital. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH Intrinsic case study methods including observation, interviews with radiology and emergency personnel about scheduling procedures, mapping patient appointment processes and document analysis were used over three years and then complemented with retrospective interviews with key hospital staff. The multiple data sources and methods were combined in a pragmatic and reflexive manner to explore an extreme case that provides potential to act as an instructive template for effective change. FINDINGS Computer simulation of process change ideas offered by staff to improve patient-flow accelerated the adoption of the process changes, largely because animated computer simulation permitted experimentation (trialability), provided observable predictions of change results (observability) and minimized perceived risk. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS The difficulty of making accurate comparisons between time periods in a health care setting is acknowledged. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS This work has implications for policy, practice and theory, particularly for inducing the rapid diffusion of process innovations to address challenges facing health service organizations and national health systems. Originality/value - The research demonstrates the value of animated computer simulation in presenting the need for change, identifying options, and predicting change outcomes and is the first work to indicate the importance of trialability, observability and risk reduction in individual adoption decisions in health services.

Continuous improvement in manufacturing companies in Jordan

ABSTRACT In Australia, the Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) remains a popular program but considerable anguish persists within the university sector over just what it is offering students. In this article, we use the process of postgraduate socialisation to understand how candidates, supervisors and administrators navigate pathways to successful completion and offering of a DBA program. We identify four modes of knowledge applicable to the DBA and suggest that universities and candidates may draw on one anothers cultural capital to determine which mode(s) can be offered. We also illustrate how candidates exercise agency through their cultural and social capital as they move through the program. We present a conceptual framework to help guide future research, and resource allocation on the DBA.