Thomas Will

Basic points for a strategic production organization requiring simultaneous strategies

Abstract Modern production management concepts aim at achieving competitive advantage by means of structuring production systems in order to obtain an optimum support of the requirements of competitive strategy. Generally these concepts are based on the ‘inconsistence hypothesis’ — i.e., the basic assumption that cost leadership and differentiation strategies are basically incompatible. This paper, however, deals, with the specific organizational consequences for those ‘competitive-weapon-purpose’ production concepts resulting from strategic business field situations requiring a simultaneous support of generic competitive strategies.

Simultaneously supporting generic competitive strategies by production management: supportive concepts of information technology and work organization

Abstract The structuring of production according to strategy requirements is of central importance for achieving production-based competitive advantages. Strategy recommendations derived from Porters incompatibility hypothesis of cost leadership and differentiation are increasingly inadequate because of recent developments concerning strategic business units and production resources. The object of this paper is therefore to develop an alternative concept of strategyadequate production management, named the simultaneity hypothesis. It will better meet the currently increasing requirements to support cost leadership and differentiation simultaneously. Simultaneity potential for this approach is provided by newer information technology and work organization production concepts.