A Systemic View of South Africa’s Software Industry

Computer software are increasingly becoming an integral part of how businesses and society at large can innovatively use technology to increase efficiency, set up new business models as well as improve their overall productivity. Developing countries are also realising the potential impact of a successful software industry on structural transformation, education, innovation, service delivery, job creation and export revenue. While these positive impacts of a successful software industry have been well documented, there is also evidence that failure to establish the right policies can severely hinder prospects of a country in realising the benefits. The paper makes use of system thinking techniques to explore the systemic issues implicated in the South Africa’s software industry and advocates for the government to take an active role in spearheading an industry that can have a sustainable and meaningful impact to businesses and the society at large. This requires the government to carefully and strategically mediate the efforts and interests of stakeholders in private sector as well as academia

Social housing: emphasizing on corporate management approaches in the UK

The social housing sector in Britain has undergone significant change over the last four decades since 1980. Under the economic and political ideology of Neoliberalism, the introduction of market forces into the arena of public service provision has resulted in the evolution of a competitive operational environment for Social Housing Providers (SHPs). These organisations have to operate as businesses and meet the challenges of functioning as independent firms that are regulated by the state. They can borrow finance on the private markets to fund their activities and diversify their operations to seek new streams of business. The expectation is that they will operate as efficient and effective businesses that provide safe homes for their customers. As well as operating along business lines, SHPs are expected to fulfil a social purpose to provide for those in society with a housing need and who cannot access housing through the market mechanism. As organisations, SHPs have had to operate as businesses and meet the challenges of functioning as independent firms that are regulated by the state as well as provide accommodation for those in society with a need for housing. This article looks at the rise of corporatism in the social housing sector. It explores types of management that are being used by SHPs to create organisations that deliver effective services as well as efficient businesses that survive in a competitive age. Approaches to the management of values are considered in terms of benefits to customers and as guiding parameters for staff in these organisations. The article then asks if these approaches have benefitted customers and reflects on the challenges that SHPs face in fulfilling their obligations as business with a social purpose

Failure demand: a concept evaluation in UK primary care

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess failure demand as a lean concept that assists in waste analysis during quality improvement activity. The authors assess whether the concept’s limited use is a missed opportunity to help us understand improvement priorities, given that a UK Government requirement for public service managers to report failure demand has been removed. Design/methodology/approach The authors look at the literature across the public sector and then apply the failure demand concept to the UK’s primary healthcare system. The UK National Health Service (NHS) demand data are analysed and the impact on patient care is elicited from patient interviews. Findings The study highlighted the concept’s value, showing how primary care systems often generate failure demand partly owing to existing demand and capacity management practices. This demand is deflected to other systems, such as the accident and emergency department, with a considerable detrimental impact on patient experience. Research limitations/implications More research is needed to fully understand how best to exploit the failure demand concept within wider healthcare as there are many potential barriers to its appropriate and successful application. Practical implications The authors highlight three practical barriers to using failure demand: first, demand within the healthcare system is poorly understood; second, systems improvement understanding is limited; and third, need to apply the concept for improvement and not just for reporting purposes. Originality/value The authors provide an objective and independent insight into failure demand that has not previously been seen in the academic literature, specifically in relation to primary healthcare

Service organisations resilience through the application of the vanguard method of systems thinking: A case study approach

The construct of organisational resilience is embedded in a set of individual level attributes and organisational level processes; however, there seems to be scarcity in the current literature of resilient models of operation that can amalgamate these two interlinked levels. This paper is an attempt to empirically explore the relationship of applying the vanguard method of systems thinking in service organisations with enhancing organisational resilience. Two case studies were conducted in two service organisations in the UK. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews, observations, and archival documents, followed by the use of the nine-item Organisational Commitment Questionnaire. Cross-case analysis of the results shows that the employment of the vanguard method in service organisations operationalized two-dimensional determinants for improving organisational resilience; an organically structured organisation (i.e. organisational level), and highly affectively committed core employees (i.e. individual level).The value of this paper is the identification of two-level service organisations capabilities that can support organisational resilience and how these capabilities emerge as a result of employing the vanguard method. © 2013 Taylor & Francis

A systems approach for forward and reverse logistics design: maximising value from customer involvement

PURPOSE. There is significant potential for adding value by involving customer in the design process and delivery of logistic services. In order to add value to the overall logistic system, this paper proposes applying an integrated systems approach for the design of forward and reverse logistics services in order to build a self-organising service that can maximise efficiencies and in particular reduce reverse logistics costs. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH. Two exploratory case studies were conducted in the logistics systems of housing repair and maintenance sector in the UK. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, observations, and documented evidence. FINDINGS. The findings of the cross-case analysis suggests that systems approach expressed as the Vanguard Method (Seddon 2008) has a direct impact on enhancing forward logistics performance and reducing reverse product flows by nourishing three dimensions for learning from demand-driven analysis; capturing customer clean information, demand predictability and categorisation, and failure demand analysis. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS. Findings from exploratory case studies cannot be easily generalised. Hence, further case studies are needed to enrich the findings, and to facilitate their industrial applications. Further, the paper explores the utilisation of the Vanguard Method only in the area of housing repairs and maintenance logistics services. It would be valuable for future studies to further investigate the utilisation of the Vanguard Method in other logistics services settings. ORIGINALITY/VALUE. The paper demonstrates an important dynamics of how logistics services can incorporate customer demands into the logistics design process

Operationalisation of service innovation: a systems thinking approach

This paper initialises an effort to explore the impact of an innovative systems thinking approach for service operations design on creating innovation. A qualitative exploratory case study approach in two of the UK’s service sector departments was conducted, using face-to-face semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and extractions from both observations and documents. The results identify that operationalising service innovation is positively linked with applying the Vanguard Method for service operations design. Twelve micro-determinants for service innovation operationalisation have been identified that reside at three different levels in the service organisation, namely employees level (i.e. Micro), the functional level (i.e. Meso), and corporate level (i.e. Macro). The value of this paper is the introduction of a step-by-step guidance on how to build service operations design to operationalise service innovation, the paper also theorises service innovation with systems thinking methodology that emphasises holistic, multi-disciplinary, and integrative characteristics of the service system

Operationalising “Double-Loop” learning in service organisations: A systems approach for creating knowledge

© 2016 Springer Science+Business Media New YorkLearning organisation literature has widely discussed the connections between “double-loop” learning and its significance to organisational performance, but paying little attention to tools and systems that can operationalise “double-loop” learning in organisations. This paper investigates the impact of applying a systems approach for service operations design, expressed as the Vanguard Method (Seddon, Freedom from command and control: a better way to make the work work, 2003), in order to activate “double-loop” learning in service organisations. Two case studies were conducted in the banking mortgage operations and adults’ social care services in the UK, using the dimensions of the learning organisation questionnaire (DLOQ), semi-structured interviews, observations, and documents. The findings of the cross-case analysis support the link of applying the Vanguard Method with operationalising “double-loop” learning through three main factors, namely systematic-operations improvement, organisational capacity development, and outside-in mode of work; that are all embedded into the seven dimensions of the DLOQ. The value of this paper is the introduction of a service operations design tool that can activate “double-loop” learning performance in the fast changing knowledge era. It also provides an impetus for service organisations to creatively influence employees’ competencies to effectively improve internal systems

Systems thinking for service operations design: facilitating double loop learning in Vietnamese tourism companies during COVID-19

This study attempts to examine the impact of applying systems thinking approach for service operations design on operationalizing “double loop” learning in Vietnamese tourism companies as COVID-19 exit strategy. A case study was conducted in a leading cruise group company in Vietnam. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 27 key informants and through archival documents collection. Results confirmed that systems thinking activated double loop learning by promoting three different drivers: systematic judges and acts, problem-based task force teams, and service innovation. This study provides several new insights and contributions to tourism research on how to deal with uncertain environments

Evaluating the impact of an enhanced energy performance standard on load-bearing masonry domestic construction: Understanding the gap between designed and real performance: lessons from Stamford Brook.

This report is aimed at those with interests in the procurement, design and construction of new dwellings both now and in the coming years as the Government’s increasingly stringent targets for low and zero carbon housing approach. It conveys the results of a research project, carried out between 2001 and 2008, that was designed to evaluate the extent to which low carbon housing standards can be achieved in the context of a large commercial housing development. The research was led by Leeds Metropolitan University in collaboration with University College London and was based on the Stamford Brook development in Altrincham, Cheshire. The project partners were the National Trust, Redrow and Taylor Wimpey and some 60 percent of the planned 700 dwelling development has been completed up to June 2008. As the UK house building industry and its suppliers grapple with the challenges of achieving zero carbon housing by 2016, the lessons arising from this project are timely and of considerable value. Stamford Brook has demonstrated that designing masonry dwellings to achieve an enhanced energy standard is feasible and that a number of innovative approaches, particularly in the area of airtightness, can be successful. The dwellings, as built, exceed the Building Regulations requirements in force at the time but tests on the completed dwellings and longer term monitoring of performance has shown that, overall, energy consumption and carbon emissions, under standard occupancy, are around 20 to 25 percent higher than design predictions. In the case of heat loss, the discrepancy can be much higher. The report contains much evidence of considerable potential but points out that realising the design potential requires a fundamental reappraisal of processes within the industry from design and construction to the relationship with its supply chain and the development of the workforce. The researchers conclude that, even when builders try hard, current mainstream technical and organisational practices together with industry cultures present barriers to consistent delivery of low and zero carbon performance. They suggest that the underlying reasons for this are deeply embedded at all levels of the house building industry. They point out also that without fundamental change in processes and cultures, technological innovations, whether they be based on traditional construction or modern methods are unlikely to reach their full potential. The report sets out a series of wide ranging implications for new housing in the UK, which are given in Chapter 14 and concludes by firmly declaring that cooperation between government, developers, supply chains, educators and researchers will be crucial to improvement. The recommendations in this report are already being put into practice by the researchers at Leeds Metropolitan University and University College London in their teaching and in further research projects. The implications of the work have been discussed across the industry at a series of workshops undertaken in 2008 as part of the LowCarb4Real project (see http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/as/cebe/projects/lowcarb4real/index.htm). In addition, the learning is having an impact on the work of the developers (Redrow and Taylor Wimpey) who, with remarkable foresight and enthusiasm, hosted the project. This report seeks to make the findings more widely available and is offered for consideration by everyone who has a part to play in making low and zero carbon housing a reality