An evolutionary complex systems decision-support tool for the management of operations

Purpose - The purpose of this is to add both to the development of complex systems thinking in the subject area of operations and production management and to the limited number of applications of computational models and simulations from the science of complex systems. The latter potentially offer helpful decision-support tools for operations and production managers. Design/methodology/approach - A mechanical engineering firm was used as a case study where a combined qualitative and quantitative methodological approach was employed to extract the required data from four senior managers. Company performance measures as well as firm technologies, practices and policies, and their relation and interaction with one another, were elicited. The data were subjected to an evolutionary complex systems (ECS) model resulting in a series of simulations. Findings - The findings highlighted the effects of the diversity in management decision making on the firm's evolutionary trajectory. The CEO appeared to have the most balanced view of the firm, closely followed by the marketing and research and development managers. The manufacturing manager's responses led to the most extreme evolutionary trajectory where the integrity of the entire firm came into question particularly when considering how employees were utilised. Research limitations/implications - By drawing directly from the opinions and views of managers, rather than from logical "if-then" rules and averaged mathematical representations of agents that characterise agent-based and other self-organisational models, this work builds on previous applications by capturing a micro-level description of diversity that has been problematical both in theory and application. Practical implications - This approach can be used as a decision-support tool for operations and other managers providing a forum with which to explore: the strengths, weaknesses and consequences of different decision-making capacities within the firm; the introduction of new manufacturing technologies, practices and policies; and the different evolutionary trajectories that a firm can take. Originality/value - With the inclusion of "micro-diversity", ECS modelling moves beyond the self-organisational models that populate the literature but has not as yet produced a great many practical simulation results. This work is a step in that direction

Integrated management systems as complex adaptive systems

It is a difficult task to avoid the “smart systems” topic when discussing smart prevention and, similarly, it is a difficult task to address smart systems without focusing their ability to learn. Following the same line of thought, in the current reality, it seems a Herculean task (or an irreparable omission) to approach the topic of certified occupational health and safety management systems (OHSMS) without discussing the integrated management systems (IMSs). The available data suggest that seldom are the OHSMS operating as the single management system (MS) in a company so, any statement concerning OHSMS should mainly be interpreted from an integrated perspective. A major distinction between generic systems can be drawn between those that learn, i.e., those systems that have “memory” and those that have not. These former systems are often depicted as adaptive since they take into account past events to deal with novel, similar and future events modifying their structure to enable success in its environment. Often, these systems, present a nonlinear behavior and a huge uncertainty related to the forecasting of some events. This paper seeks to portray, for the first time as we were able to find out, the IMSs as complex adaptive systems (CASs) by listing their properties and dissecting the features that enable them to evolve and self-organize in order to, holistically, fulfil the requirements from different stakeholders and thus thrive by assuring the successful sustainability of a company. Based on the revision of literature carried out, this is the first time that IMSs are pointed out as CASs which may develop fruitful synergies both for the MSs and for CASs communities. By performing a thorough revision of literature and based on some concepts embedded in the “DNA” of the subsystems implementation standards it is intended, specifically, to identify, determine and discuss the properties of a generic IMS that should be considered to classify it as a CAS

The Technology Development and Management of Smart Manufacturing System: A Review On Theoretical and Technological Perspectives

This paper encompasses a state-of-the-art review on smart manufacturing system (SMS), focusing on theoretical relevance to technology development and technology management. The theoretical foundation of technology development has been reviewed based on the Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation (DoI) theory and technology management has been focused on the basis of Technology Strategy Model (TSM) of Rieck and Dickson to shape the paper with theory of Management of Technology (MOT). A patent on SMS has been discussed to show how different technologies are integrated into this system. The characteristics of SMS have discussed the overall aspects of this future technological system. The the global textile complex has been depicted with a proposed SMS model of the apparel production unit. This study integrates the latest articles and technology on future manufacturing system perspectives, which gives a robust idea of mintegration have been identified as the major components of SMS. A brief model of SMS in the apparel production system demonstrated how SMS works in the industry level. The researchers on smart manufacturing can take away the above insights into their future research to take SMS research more forward.inimizing human interaction and maximizing the production efficiency in the manufacturing industry. The cyber-physical system, AI, ERP, digital twin, big data, additive manufacturing, cloud manufacturing, simulation, and vertical and horizontal&nbsp

Mapeo de las capacidades dinámicas y gestión tecnológica, rumbo a la gestión de capacidades dinámicas digitales

The evolution of the dynamic capabilities approach allows analyzing, through this theoretical framework, the current phenomena of organizations, considering the opportunities for innovation through digital tools and management capacity as sources of competitive advantages. Derived from the above, the purpose of this research is to perform a bibliometric analysis of the concepts of dynamic capabilities and technological management within the area of economics, business and engineering from a quantitative and descriptive methodology, evidencing the evolution of the scientific production of the subject. The search performed in the Scopus database considered the entire period of analysis available on the platform. As a result, the evolution of the documents produced per year, their origin, the most outstanding authors with high impact publications and the different definitions for the concept under study were found. As a result of the bibliometric search, it was possible to propose a construct derived from dynamic environments for the study of Mexican SMEs.La evolución del enfoque de capacidades dinámicas permite analizar, a través de este marco teórico, los fenómenos actuales de las organizaciones, considerando las oportunidades de innovación a través de herramientas digitales y la capacidad de gestión como fuentes de ventajas competitivas. Derivado de lo anterior el propósito de esta investigación es realizar un análisis bibliométrico de los conceptos de capacidades dinámicas y gestión tecnológica dentro del área de economía, negocios e ingeniería desde una metodología cuantitativa y descriptiva, evidenciando la evolución de la producción científica del tema. La búsqueda realizada en la base de datos Scopus consideró todo el periodo de análisis disponible en la plataforma. Como resultado se encontró la evolución de los documentos producidos por año, su procedencia, los autores más sobresalientes con publicaciones de alto impacto y las diferentes definiciones para el concepto en estudio. Derivado de la búsqueda bibliométrica fue posible plantear una propuesta de constructo derivado de los entornos dinámicos para el estudio en las pymes mexicanas

Indirect capabilities and complex performance:implications for procurement and operations strategy

Purpose – The paper argues that indirect capabilities – the ability to access other organizations’ capabilities – are an important and neglected part of firm strategy in PCP (Procuring Complex Performance) settings, and that this is especially so if these settings are treated as genuinely complex, rather than merely complicated. Elements of indirect capabilities are identified. Design/methodology – This is a theoretical paper, drawing on complexity notions and Penrose’s analysis of endogenous innovation to drive a disequilibrium-oriented discussion of the capabilities required by firms in a PCP setting. Findings – Six inter-related elements of indirect capabilities are proposed and discussed: IT infrastructure; boundary management practices; contracting; interface artefacts; valuing others’ capabilities and relating direct to indirect capabilities. These are important in PCP settings and in other operations and supply settings characterised by complexity. Originality/value – This paper reconsiders the way complexity has been treated in the PCP literature, and develops an extended discussion of the notion of indirect capabilities. It potentially provides the basis for an operations and supply strategy more attuned to the demands of shifting inter-organizational networks

Toward a three-dimensional framework for omni-channel

The omni-channel, as an emerging trend in retail, aims to coordinate processes and technologies across supply and sales channels. The evolution of this concept is still nascent. This paper develops a conceptual framework for omni-channel systems, configured by three dimensions of channel stage, channel type and channel agent. Integration and visibility are also explored and discussed as the main enablers, which support the implementation of omni-channel framework. This research is built upon the empirical and secondary data. Multiple case studies and expert interview methods are employed for data collection to validate the recommended framework and to explore its applicability. The framework proposed, along with the key integration and visibility enablers identified for the omni-channel, can be applied to a wide range of retail supply chains. It helps managers to develop, run and monitor omni-channel systems; it may also serve as a stepping-stone for development of the literature on omni-channel systems

Manufactura biológica e inteligente: atributos de la vida aplicados al desarrollo tecnológico

Los entornos altamente dinámicos caracterizados por el predominio del conocimiento como motor del desarrollo hacen que sea necesario abordar problemáticas específicas a través de enfoques multidisciplinarios. En este orden de ideas, mediante la imi- tación del comportamiento de los seres vivos se han generado técnicas y herramientas aplicadas en contextos como los tecnoló- gicos y productivos para incrementar la eficiencia y la capacidad de respuesta. Este artículo presenta los resultados de una in- vestigación efectuada mediante la aplicación de técnicas cienciométricas y de vigilancia tecnológica, con el fin de evidenciar el impacto que los conceptos y fundamentos de las ciencias de la vida han tenido sobre el desarrollo tecnológico y su gestión. De esta manera se encontró que dicho impacto se ha reflejado principalmente en la generación de conceptos y aplicaciones a temas como la manufactura inteligente, los sistemas biológicos de fabricación, la manufactura holónica y biónica, otorgando a- tributos de adaptación, autoaprendizaje, flexibilidad y capacidad de evolución a los procesos de fabricación y de manejo de in- formación, lo cual permite concluir que la gestión del factor tecnológico se ha fortalecido con base en campos como el bio- lógico, con repercusiones directas en los procesos productivos.Highly competitive settings, characterised by development being promoting by the predominance of knowledge, means that mul- tidisciplinary approaches must be adopted for dealing with specific problems. Indeed, techniques and tools have been created by imitating human beings’ behaviour and applying them to productive and technological contexts to increase efficiency and enable a quick response. This paper deals with this topic and presents the results of scientometric- and technological surveillance-based research for revealing life sciences’ impact on technological development and its management. It was found that such impact has been mainly reflected in producing concepts and applications for topics such as intelligent manufacturing, biological manu- facturing systems and holonic and bionic manufacturing, thereby providing manufacturing and information management with hu- man attributes such as adaptation, self-learning, flexibility and the ability to evolve. It may thus be concluded that technological factor management has been strengthened, based on fields such as biology, thereby leading to direct outcomes regarding pro- duction

Contribuições das ciências biológicas à teoria da administração

Biological metaphors have been applied to organizational management models, however, a bibliometrical monitoring of these contributions needs to be done with the purpose of articulating such information. The objective of this paper is to outline the results to establish the state of art, approaches and contributions of biological models application development in administrative sciences. From the obtained results, it was found that there is a strong positioning of biological concepts application in the implementation of productive processes as a form to manage production efficiently. Additionally, the generation of comparing is related to organization forms of the environment to be applied in organizational structures. However, the analysis made shows that publication dynamic on biosciences contribution to management has a lot potential and has been conceptually diverse. Las metáforas biológicas han sido aplicadas en los modelos de gestión organizacional para fortalecer su conceptualización y entendimiento, sin embargo se requiere hacer un seguimiento bibliométrico de estos aportes con el fin de articular dicha información. El objetivo del presente documento es destacar los resultados obtenidos para establecer el estado del arte, enfoques y aportes del desarrollo de la aplicación de los modelos biológicos en las ciencias administrativas. De los resultados obtenidos se encontró que existe un fuerte posicionamiento de la aplicación de los conceptos biológicos en la implementación de procesos productivos, como una forma de administrar eficientemente la producción. Adicionalmente, la generación de la comparación está relacionada con las formas de organización del medio ambiente para ser aplicadas a las estructuras organizacionales. No obstante, el análisis realizado muestra que la dinámica de publicaciones sobre el aporte de las biociencias a la gestión tiene mucho potencial y ha sido diverso conceptualmente.Para melhorar a conceituação e a compreensão dos modelos de gestão organizacional, têm-se utilizado metáforas biológicas nos modelos de gestão organizacional. No entanto, é necessário fazer um seguimento bibliométrico dessas contribuições para articular essa informação. O objetivo deste trabalho é destacar os resultados para estabelecer o estado da arte, as abordagens e as contribuições do desenvolvimento da aplicação dos modelos biológicos na ciência da administração. Os resultados mostraram um forte posicionamento na aplicação de conceitos biológicos no estabelecimento de processos de produção como uma forma de gerenciar com eficiência a produção. Além disso, a comparação está relacionada às formas de organização do ambiente para aplicá-las às estruturas organizacionais. Não obstante, esta análise mostra que a dinâmica de publicações sobre a contribuição das ciências biológicas para a gestão tem um grande potencial e conceitualmente é diferente