RFID application in a multi-agent cyber physical manufacturing system

In manufacturing supply chains with labour-intensive operations and processes, individuals perform various types of manual tasks and quality checks. These operations and processes embrace engagement with various forms of paperwork, regulation obligations and external agreements between multiple stakeholders. Such manual activities can increase human error and near misses, which may ultimately lead to a lack of productivity and performance. In this paper, a multi-agent cyber-physical system (CPS) architecture with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is presented to assist inter-layer interactions between different manufacturing phases on the shop floor and external interactions with other stakeholders within a supply chain. A dynamic simulation model in the AnyLogic software is developed to implement the CPS-RFID solution by using the agent-based technique. A case study from cryogenic warehousing in cell and gene therapy has been chosen to test the validity of the presented CPS-RFID architecture. The analyses of the simulation results show improvement in efficiency and productivity, in terms of resource time-in-syste

Operations capability, productivity and business performance: the moderating effect of environmental dynamism

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between operations capability, productivity and business performance in the context of environmental dynamism. Design/methodology/approach – A proposed conceptual framework grounded in the resourcebased view (RBV) and dynamic capability view (DCV) is analysed using archival data from 193 automakers in the UK. Findings – The results show that operations capability, as an important dynamic capability, has a significant positive effect on productivity, which in turn leads to improved business performance. The results also suggest that productivity fully mediates the relationship between operations capability and business performance, and that environmental dynamism significantly moderates the relationship between operations capability and productivity. Practical implications – The research findings provide practical insights that will help managers develop operations capability to gain greater productivity and business performance in a dynamic environment

Work Organisation and Innovation

[Excerpt] Innovations in work organisation have the potential to optimise production processes in companies and improve employees’ overall experience of work. This report explores the links between innovations in work organisation – under the broader label of high performance work practices (HPWPs) – and the potential benefits for both employees and organisations. It draws on empirical evidence from case studies carried out in 13 Member States of the European Union where workplace innovations have resulted in positive outcomes

Team Learning: A Theoretical Integration and Review

With the increasing emphasis on work teams as the primary architecture of organizational structure, scholars have begun to focus attention on team learning, the processes that support it, and the important outcomes that depend on it. Although the literature addressing learning in teams is broad, it is also messy and fraught with conceptual confusion. This chapter presents a theoretical integration and review. The goal is to organize theory and research on team learning, identify actionable frameworks and findings, and emphasize promising targets for future research. We emphasize three theoretical foci in our examination of team learning, treating it as multilevel (individual and team, not individual or team), dynamic (iterative and progressive; a process not an outcome), and emergent (outcomes of team learning can manifest in different ways over time). The integrative theoretical heuristic distinguishes team learning process theories, supporting emergent states, team knowledge representations, and respective influences on team performance and effectiveness. Promising directions for theory development and research are discussed