1,494 research outputs found

    Kaizen internal quality assurance adoption and quality performance improvement in Indonesian higher education institutions: The moderating role of IT development

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    Research aims: In 2018, strengthening Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), governance began to be promoted again by the Indonesian government after its first initiation in 2003. In doing so, the Indonesian government has adopted a new internal quality assurance framework for HEIs, i.e., the Kaizen method, which emphasizes the quality improvement process. In addition, the government recommended the development of IT advancement to support management practices at the HEIs, including internal quality assurance. However, to this day, related research that examines the extent to which these policies contribute to HEI quality performance improvement still needs to be improved. To meet the gap, the current study examined the Kaizen internal quality assurance implementation role on HEI quality performance by testing the IT development as a moderator.Design/Methodology/Approach: Using data from 191 HEI samples obtained from 31 of 34 provinces in Indonesia, the relationship between variables was tested by employing the Partial Least Square (PLS) technique.Research findings: The results exhibited that the Kaizen internal quality assurance implementation was positively associated with HEI quality performance, where IT development strengthened the relationship (moderated). However, since the direct relationship between IT development and HEI quality performance was also significant, the moderating role of IT development was quasi in nature.Theoretical contribution/Originality: The results provide new insights regarding the contributions of internal quality assurance reform supported by IT development to the HEI quality performance. Specifically, the study affirms the role of IT as a moderator

    A system model for green manufacturing

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    Manufacturing systems evolution is afunction in multiple external and internal factors. With today’s global awareness of environmental risks as well as the pressing needs to compete through efficiency, manufacturing systems are evolving into a new paradigm. This paper presents a system model for the new green manufacturing paradigm. The model captures various planning activities to migrate from a less green into a greener and more eco-efficient manufacturing. The various planning stages are accompanied by the required control metrics as well as various green tools in an open mixed architecture. The system model is demonstrated by an industrial case study. The proposed model is a comprehensive qualitative answer to the question of how to design and/or improve green manufacturing systems as well as a roadmap for future quantitative research to better evaluate this new paradigm

    Lean healthcare: Implementation of a Lean system in a community pharmacy: Case study

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    Lean is a process improvement-oriented methodology that focuses on efficiency and waste elimination, leading to increased value delivered to the customer and return for the organization. Considering the current conjuncture, it becomes even more relevant to implement a management methodology that increases efficiency, especially in small and medium-sized enterprises. Currently, there is a gap in the literature, with most of the cases studied in the healthcare sector referring to hospitals. This case study was carried out in a community pharmacy that already has a pilot project underway to implement the Lean methodology, allowing the identification of the difficulties experienced by the team in this process. This analysis leads to the suggestion of an implementation project, which will allow the pharmacy to improve its performance, through the suggestion of appropriate tools to use according to the identified needs. Data collection and analysis were carried out through a focus group, direct observation, document analysis, and descriptive statistics. This implementation project allows, on the one hand, to contribute to the database of case studies in this sector and, on the other hand, to generate operational results in the pharmacy in question, reducing its waste and increasing value for the customer and the organization.Lean é uma metodologia orientada para a melhoria de processos, que se foca na eficiência e na eliminação de desperdício, levando a um aumento do valor entregue ao cliente e retorno para a organização. Considerando a conjuntura atual, torna-se ainda mais relevante a implementação de uma metodologia de gestão que aumente a sua eficiência, especialmente em pequenas e médias empresas. Atualmente, existe uma lacuna na literatura, sendo que a maioria dos casos estudados na área da saúde são referentes a hospitais. Este estudo de caso foi realizado numa farmácia comunitária que já tem em curso um projeto piloto o para implementar a metodologia Lean, permitindo identificar as dificuldades sentidas pela equipa nesse processo. Esta análise leva à sugestão de um projecto de implementação, que permita à farmácia melhorar o seu desempenho, através da sugestão de ferramentas adequadas para usar de acordo com as necessidades identificadas. A recolha e análise de dados foram feitas com recurso a um focus group, observação directa, análise de documentos e estatística descritiva. Este projeto de implementação permite, por um lado, contribuir para a biblioteca de estudos de caso neste sector e, por outro, gerar resultados operacionais na farmácia em questão, reduzindo os seus desperdícios e aumentando o valor para o cliente e para a organização

    Applying the Kaizen in Africa

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    At present, how to develop industries is a burning issue in Africa, where population growth remains high and economic development has thus far failed to provide sufficient jobs for many, especially young people and women. The creation of productive jobs through industrial development ought to be a central issue in steering economic activity across the continent. The authors of this book, consisting of two development economists and five practitioners, argue that the adoption of Kaizen management practices, which originated in Japan and have become widely used by manufacturers in advanced and emerging economies, is decisively the most effective first step for industrial development in Africa. This open access book discusses what Kaizen management is, why it is applicable to Africa, and why it can provide Africa with a springboard for sustainable economic growth and employment generation

    Uncovering the practices of continuous improvement in local government

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    Continuous improvement (CI) is an important methodology adopted by the public sector, including local government, to drive process efficiencies and outcome effectiveness, often in response to financial pressures and increased customer demands driven by both state and federal governments (Burgess & Radnor 2012; Pedersen 2011; Radnor, Z. 2010; Rashman & Radnor 2005; Suarez Barraza et al. 2009). Moreover, the adoption of neoliberal policies to drive such imperatives has resulted in CI being enacted in ways that are often removed from the practice traditions presented by the early quality theorists of Crosby, Juran, Deming and Imai. The decontextualised approach to CI has seen the implementation of a range of quality frameworks, such as Australian Business Excellence or Lean Thinking, being implemented. The introduction and adoption of such frameworks has often been met with cynicism and caution by both CI practitioners and staff, as organisations have not always achieved the sought after gains frequently promised. For local government, CI practices have come to mean the application of a narrow range of tools. Most recently, the traditions, practices and frameworks which have been the foci on improvement have shifted to see the implementation of yet a new framework, which in the context of NSW local government has come to be known as service reviews (see for example: Pepper et al. 2021; University of Technology 2020, 2021) as the gold standard that has worked to reconfigure how CI is enacted within the NSW local government. This research explores ways in which, for NSW local government contexts, the fundamental activity and CI practice of problem definition could be reconfigured in ways which bring it closer to practice traditions of seminal theorists such as Deming and Imai. In this thesis the literatures of action learning sets (Anderson and Thorpe 2004; Bird and Duffy 2021; Norman 2016) and CI are brought together to foreground problem definition statements, action and critical reflection and the essential nature of these in the day-to-day enactment of CI practice within NSW local government (see for example Crosby 1989; Deming 1986; Ghobadian and Speller 1994; Imai 1986; Juran 1995). Through the introduction of action learning set practices at a number of NSW local government sites, this research has foregrounded the relational complexity of CI that enacted neoliberalist policies have ignored. In bringing workers together to enact practices of problem definition, action and reflection, the Action Learning Sets (ALS) have emerged as sites where it is possible to reinstate or indeed reinvigorate the lost practice traditions of CI

    For Inclusive and Dynamic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

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    Workers, Managers, Productivity

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    This open access book provides a glimpse into the Japanese management technique known as “Kaizen,” and the ways it has been disseminated around the developing world. The novelty of this book is three-fold: it provides a contextualized view of the mechanisms of initiatives implementing Kaizen in developing countries; compared with productivity studies, it places the relationship between workers and managers at the center of inquiry, reflecting the intent of SDG8 concerning decent work and economic growth; and it provides an overview of the heterogeneity of Kaizen in terms of geography and firm size. This book explores how improving management techniques can support firms’ productivity and quality. Given its wide range of case studies from across Africa, Asia and Latin America, this book will be of value to scholars, policymakers and advocates of sustainable development alike

    Why do Process Improvement Projects Fail in Organizations? A Review and Future Research Agenda

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    Purpose: The purpose of this article is to examine the Critical Failure Factors (CFFs) linked to various types of Process improvement (PI) projects such as Kaizen, Lean, Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma and Agile. Proposing a mitigation framework accordingly is also an aim of this study. Design/ Methodology/ Approach: This research undertakes a systematic literature review of 49 articles that were relevant to the scope of our study and that were published in four prominent databases including Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science and EBSCO. Findings: Further analysis identifies 39 factors that contribute to the failure of PI projects. Among these factors, significant emphasis is placed on issues such as "resistance to cultural change," "insufficient support from top management," "inadequate training and education," "poor communication," and "lack of resources", as primary causes of PI project failures. To address and overcome the PI project failures, we propose a framework for failure mitigation based on change management models. We present future research directions that aim to enhance both the theoretical understanding and practical aspects of PI project failures. Practical Implications: Through this study researchers and project managers can benefit from well structured guidelines and invaluable insights that will help them identify and address potential failures, leading to successful implementation and sustainable improvements within organizations. Originality: This paper is the first study of its kind that examine the CFFs of five PI methodologies and introduces a novel approach derived from change management theory as a solution to minimize the risk associated with PI failure
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