Toni L. Doolen

The role of communication and management support in a lean manufacturing implementation

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to investigate the role of management support in a lean implementation. The impact the lean implementation made on communication within the organization is also examined.Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative methods were used to study the relationships between management support, organizational communications, and a lean manufacturing implementation. A case study was conducted in an electronics manufacturing company in the northwestern USA. Data were collected over a three‐month time period. The data were coded using an evolving coding scheme and analysis was performed on the resulting data set.Findings – Evidence was found to support the supposition that management support does play a role in driving a lean manufacturing implementation. Management support impacted the lean manufacturing implementation both negatively and positively. The research also found moderate support for improved communication in the organization attributable to the lean implementation....

A review of lean assessment in organizations: An exploratory study of lean practices by electronics manufacturers

This paper describes the development of a survey instrument to assess the implementation of lean practices within an organization. Results of a literature review, which was used to identify lean manufacturing practices and existing lean assessment tools, are presented. The findings of this review were synthesized to develop an instrument to assess both the number and the level of implementation of a broad range of lean practices in an organization. As part of a larger research project, an exploratory study was completed using the survey. A cross section of electronic manufacturers in the Pacific Northwest was used for the exploratory study. Analysis of the survey results from the exploratory study are summarized in this paper to illustrate how the survey can be used to understand what factors might contribute to the implementation of lean practices. In the exploratory study completed, for example, it was found that while electronic manufacturers have implemented a broad range of lean practices, the level of implementation does vary and may be related to economic, operational, or organizational factors.

The impact of organizational context on work team effectiveness: a study of production team

Teams are an integral part of many manufacturing organizations today. This paper explores the relationships between nine organizational context variables, team processes, and three measures of team effectiveness. The research was conducted within one business unit of a Fortune 50 high-technology company. Twenty-one intact production work teams were the focus of the study. Using path analysis, significant direct relationships between six organizational context factors and three measures of team effectiveness were found. The management processes associated with establishing a clear team purpose that is aligned with organizational goals and the allocation of critical resources were both positively related to team member satisfaction. An organizational culture that supports communication and cooperation between teams and the integration of teams was found to have a significant and positive linear relationship with two different team leader ratings of effectiveness and with team member satisfaction. Organizational systems that provide teams with the necessary information were found to have a significant and positive linear relationship with both team leader ratings of effectiveness and team member satisfaction. Organizational systems that provide teams with the necessary training were found to have a significant and positive linear relationship with team member satisfaction.

Learning From Less Successful Kaizen Events: A Case Study

Abstract: This paper describes results from an ongoing research program focused on identifying determinants of Kaizen event effectiveness, both in terms of initial event outcomes and the sustainability of outcomes. Although anecdotal published accounts suggest that increasing numbers of companies are using Kaizen events, and that these projects can result in substantial improvement in key business metrics, there is a lack of systematic research on Kaizen events. A particular weakness of the current published accounts is the lack of attention to less successful events – only strongly successful applications of Kaizen events receive much coverage in the accounts; however, the organizational learning literature suggests that understanding less successful cases is a key component of organizational learning. We present a case study from a less successful Kaizen event to demonstrate how the case study event contributed to organizational learning. We also present a set of methods and measures that can be used by practicing engineering managers and engineering management researchers to evaluate and analyze Kaizen event performance. The implications of the case study event for the current body of knowledge on Kaizen events are also examined, and, finally, directions for future research are described.

Kaizen events and organizational performance: a field study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the application of an assessment methodology to empirically measure and evaluate the impact of kaizen events on organizational performance, including human resource outcomes.Design/methodology/approach – A field study of two kaizen events held within a single organization utilizing both quantitative (survey) and qualitative (interviews and organizational documents) data was conducted. Sustainability of outcomes was also studied.Findings – This study empirically illustrates that, even within a single organization, kaizen events may have varied success. Management support was found to be related to human resource outcomes. Positive attitudes at the conclusion of a successful event, however, did not automatically translate to sustained improvements. Additionally, the kaizen event team with a more limited scope was better able to meet targeted business objectives.Originality/value – The methodology described can assess the impact of kaizen events on business ...

Development of a manufacturing flexibility hierarchy through factor and cluster analysis

Purpose – The ability of production organizations to respond quickly to changes in the market with new products requires flexibility. The relationship between manufacturing flexibility and the performance of organizations in new product development is not well characterized. The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a flexibility model focused on new product performance in manufacturing organizations empirically in one industrial sector.Design/methodology/approach – Hypothesized relationships between manufacturing flexibility, new product type, and new product performance are empirically tested using survey data from 273 companies, representing a range of US electronic manufacturers.Findings – Factor and cluster analysis identifies eight distinct flexibility dimensions and a hierarchy among these dimensions. The relationships between the identified flexibility dimensions and new product performance, as tested through correlation analyses, are found to be dependent on the type of new product develop...

Development of a genetic algorithm for component placement sequence optimization in printed circuit board assembly

This paper describes the development and evaluation of a custom application exploring the use of genetic algorithms (GA) to solve a component placement sequencing problem for printed circuit board (PCB) assembly. In the assembly of PCBs, the component placement process is often the bottleneck, and the equipment to complete component placement is often the largest capital investment. The number of components placed on a PCB can range from few to hundreds. As a result, developing an application to determine an optimal or near-optimal placement sequence can translate into reduced cycle times for the overall assembly process and reduced assembly costs. A custom application was developed to evaluate the effectiveness of using GAs to solve the component placement sequencing problem. A designed experiment was used to determine the best representation and crossover type, crossover rate, and mutation rate to use in solving a component sequencing problem for a PCB consisting of 10 components being placed on a single-headed placement machine. Three different representations (path, ordinal, and adjacency) and six appropriate crossover types (partially mapped, ordered, cycle, classical, alternating edges, and heuristic) were evaluated at three different mutation rates and at 11 crossover rates. Two algorithm response variables, the total distance traveled by the placement head and the algorithm solution efficiency (measured as number of generations and algorithm solution time) were used to evaluate the different GA applications. The combination of representation and crossover type along with mutation rate were found to be the most significant parameters in the algorithm design. In particular, path representation with order crossover was found to produce the best solution as measured by the total distance traveled as well as the solution generation efficiency. Increasing the mutation rate led to slightly improved solutions in terms of head travel, but also resulted in increased solution time.

Using Scorecards for Supplier Performance Improvement: Case Application in a Lean Manufacturing Organization

Abstract: Improving supplier performance is a challenge faced by many organizations. This article describes one mechanism, the supplier score card, for supplier performance improvement. Five steps for supplier scorecard design and implementation are presented. These steps are based on the design and implementation of a supplier scorecard process in a medium-sized, ISO 9001:2000 certified metal fabrication manufacturer. A three-part scorecard was developed and implemented at the case study site. Through this case example, the challenges to the design and implementation are discussed to provide engineering managers with information to assist in the development of an effective supplier scorecard process in their own organizations.

Strategies for living: moving from the balance paradigm

This paper presents a new paradigm for conceptualizing the relationship between individual, family, and work. The language and focus of the balance approach is limiting and keeps individuals from creating integrated lives. Based on previous research and the authors’ experiences in facilitating organizational transformation, a new view of the issue of work‐life balance is described. This approach focuses on the engagement of each individual in an organization as a whole person. Within the organization, efforts to help individuals consciously create a life’s purpose and meld this purpose with their organizational contribution avoid sub‐optimization and create the opportunity for synergistic performance.

Managing organizational context for engineering team effectiveness

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe a study investigating the role of organizational context on the effectiveness of engineering work teams.Design/methodology/approach – Previous research was used to operationalize organizational context and work team effectiveness, and a survey was developed to assess both in this research. This study was conducted within two engineering units of a high‐technology company. In total, 16 teams of engineering knowledge workers participated in the study. Correlation and path analysis were used to investigate both direct and mediated relationships between nine organizational context variables and team effectiveness.Findings – Direct relationships between eight organizational context variables and team member satisfaction and between two organizational context variables and team performance were found. Effects of five variables on team member satisfaction were either fully or partially mediated by team processes (TP).Research limitations/implications – This stud...