2,873 research outputs found

    Change, Coordination, and Capabilities

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    Empirical studies on coordination of economic activities focused on the two polar cases of governance mode, namely vertical integration and market exchanges. Whether firms should be vertically integrated or lever market exchanges in the face of change is, however, debated. Two positions have emerged. Some scholars argue that the vertically integrated firm is the appropriate mode of coordination when change occurs, while market exchanges are more appropriate for dealing with stable contexts (Teece, 1996). On the other hand, Harrigan (1984, 1985) contends that firms should rely on market exchanges when technological change renders upstream capabilities obsolete. Based on two case studies of the aircraft engine industry, this paper introduces the concept of systems integration as the primary coordination mechanism in-between markets and hierarchies that firms employ to cope with change. The focus is on multitechnology settings. Multitechnology, multicomponent products intensify the coordination efforts for firms developing them and therefore provide a vantage point to study coordination modes in the face of technological change. The paper argues that systems integration, as a coordination mechanism, comprises a set of different technological and organizational skills, ranging from component assembly through the understanding and integration of the technological disciplines underlying a product, to project management. It shows that from a competitive point of view, systems integration is most appropriately understood as knowledge integration. Systems integrating firms are understood as those organizations that set up the network of actors involved in the industry and lead it from an organizational and technological viewpoint.technological change, systems integration, knowledge integration, vertical integration, market exchanges

    Beyond product architecture: Division of labour and competence accumulation in complex product development

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    This paper considers the trade-off between leveraging external sources of innovation by outsourcing design and engineering activities and the ability to develop internal product development competences. The trade-off arises because the division of labor within and across firms' boundaries has a crucial role in shaping competence development processes, especially because the division of labor also influences opportunities for learning by doing. In new product development projects, learning by doing appears to be both a key determinant of competence development and a difficult-to-substitute form of learning. While the division of development tasks is often considered as guided by product architecture, we show that by decoupling the decisions concerning the product architecture and the allocation of development tasks, firms can realize the benefits of outsourcing such tasks while developing new internal competences. Drawing on a longitudinal case study in the automotive industry, we also identify a new organizational lever for shaping competence development paths and for designing firm boundaries. This lever consists in alternating different task allocation schemes over time for different types of development projects. We show why this is a novel solution, what its underlying logic is, and how it enables alleviating the trade-off between the benefits of leveraging external sources of innovation and the opportunities for competence development provided by in-house design and engineering. We discuss implications for theories of organizational boundary design and innovation management.innovation management; organizational boundaries; outsourcing; product architecture; modularity; new product development; template process; automotive industry; Fiat

    The Mirroring Hypothesis: Theory, Evidence and Exceptions

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    The mirroring hypothesis predicts that the organizational patterns of a development project (e.g. communication links, geographic collocation, team and firm co-membership) will correspond to the technical patterns of dependency in the system under development. Scholars in a range of disciplines have argued that mirroring is either necessary or a highly desirable feature of development projects, but evidence pertaining to the hypothesis is widely scattered across fields, research sites, and methodologies. In this paper, we formally define the mirroring hypothesis and review 102 empirical studies spanning three levels of organization: within a single firm, across firms, and in open community-based development projects. The hypothesis was supported in 69% of the cases. Support for the hypothesis was strongest in the within-firm sample, less strong in the across-firm sample, and relatively weak in the open collaborative sample. Based on a detailed analysis of the cases in which the mirroring hypothesis was not supported, we introduce the concept of actionable transparency as a means of achieving coordination without mirroring. We present examples from practice and describe the more complex organizational patterns that emerge when actionable transparency allows designers to 'break the mirror.'Modularity, innovation, product and process development, organization design, design structure, organizational structure, organizational ties

    Lean thinking in healthcare services: learning from case studies

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    JEL: D22, I12Healthcare organisations, especially in public sector, have been adopting Lean management practices with increasing outcomes’ evidences in several parts of the world, since the beginning of this century. However, Lean deployment in Healthcare services has been addressed in the literature in a surgical way by an array of case reports addressing the “hard” side of Lean deployment, sometimes with no result’s consistency or even follow-up analysis. This thesis seek to add to the operational side of Lean deployment in Healthcare, a complementary understanding of Lean deployment approaches, addressing both “hard” and “soft” sides, identifying the real constraints of Lean in Healthcare sector and the sustainability factors. Supported by two main literature reviews and a multi-case approach, a deep research on the eligible Portuguese cases was conducted answering the questions: (i) What are the different outcomes from Lean deployment in Healthcare?; (ii) What are the barriers to Lean implementation in Healthcare?; (iii) What enables Lean implementation in Healthcare?; (iv) What are the risks of Lean in Healthcare?; (v) How to measure Lean achievements in Healthcare services?; and (vi) How to develop a sustainable Lean culture? This contribution to the academic debate on Lean deployment in Healthcare creates clarity on what can be called Lean practices in Healthcare settings under the light of the concept’s founders; what pattern of a Lean deployment journey was followed by Healthcare organisations; and how different cultural (organisational and national) contexts can influence the pace in pursuing that pattern.As organizações de saúde, nomeadamente públicas, têm vindo a adoptar práticas de gestão Lean com crescente evidência de resultados em várias partes do mundo, desde o início deste século. Contudo, a aplicação do Lean em serviços de saúde tem tido um tratamento cirúrgico na literatura, recaindo apenas nos aspectos “hard” e sem grande consistência ou seguimento de resultados . Esta tese pretende acrescentar aos aspectos “hard” do Lean, um entendimento complementar juntando os aspectos “hard” e “soft”, identificando as restrições e factores de sustentabilidade da aplicação do Lean no sector da saúde. Tendo por base duas revisões bibliográficas primordiais e uma abordagem empírica multi-caso a partir de casos portugueses elegíveis, esta tese fornece respostas às questões: (i) Quais os diferentes resultados da aplicação do Lean na Saúde?; (ii) Quais as barreiras à aplicação do Lean na Saúde?; (iii) Quais os facilitadores da implementação do Lean na Saúde?; (iv) Quais os riscos do Lean na Saúde?; (v) Como medir a implementação do Lean na Saúde; e (vi) como desenvolver uma cultura Lean sustentável? Este contributo para o debate académico sobre a aplicação do Lean na Saúde introduz clareza sobre o que pode ou não ser chamado de práticas Lean na Saúde tendo como referência os conceitos dos fundadores; que padrão de implementação é seguido pelas organizações; e de que forma diferentes contextos culturais (nacionais e organizacionais) influenciam o ritmo desse padrão de implementação

    Exploiting the Modularity of Value Chains: Inter-firm Dynamics of the Taiwanese Notebook PC Industry

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    This paper explores the inter-firm dynamics that govern the rise of capabilities of latecomer firms operating in global value chains. By extending and modifying the model proposed by Gereffi, Humphrey and Sturgeon [2005], I present a framework in which the rise of supplier capabilities is determined by interactions among the strategies of the firms. Based on a case study of the Taiwanese notebook PC industry, the paper will explore how the interactions among outsourcing strategies by lead firms from the developed countries, the learning strategies of Taiwanese suppliers, and the product strategy of powerful component vendors have driven the explosive growth of the industry after the 1990s. By so doing, the paper attempts to highlight the active roles firms play in determining the speed and direction of the rise in supplier capabilities
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