The learning way to production performance : An evolutionary perspective on company-specific production systems (XPS)

Manufacturing companies (MCs) implement “best-practice” concepts such as Lean and the Toyota Production System (TPS) for enhanced production improvement. However, 30 years of research have shown that very few succeed in this implementation, which is often related to the challenge of copying Lean and TPS in various technological, political, and social contexts. As a reaction to this, MCs have explored new strategies for implementing bestpractice concepts. Instead of copying a concept, the company tailors its own “self-adjusted” concept that is built on one or more standard concepts. This phenomenon goes by the name of “company-specific production systems” (XPS) and seems to be an important trend among (global) MCs. A key point of an XPS is its strategic importance to the company. The selection of concepts and the adaptation and adjustment to the company’s uniqueness take place at a corporate level, and they are strongly supported by the top management of the company. After the creation phase, the XPS is distributed to the MC’s (global) network. Hence, the initial adjustment and tailoring process is supposed to secure adoption and standardization across the company’s network. Despite the increased interest and strategic importance of the XPS phenomenon, knowledge of how an XPS is developed and implemented is limited. For example, we know little about how standard concepts are adapted to the company’s uniqueness, or about whether an XPS helps to ensure standardization in a (global) network. Furthermore, we have little knowledge about how an XPS is institutionalized and established as continuous improvement in a network. Understanding the XPS phenomenon is, therefore, of both theoretical and practical interest.publishedVersio

Not so different altogether : Putting Lean and sociotechnical design into practice in a process industry

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Orchestrated learning : creating a company-specific production system (XPS)

Author's accepted manuscript.This author accepted manuscript is deposited under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC) licence. This means that anyone may distribute, adapt, and build upon the work for non-commercial purposes, subject to full attribution. If you wish to use this manuscript for commercial purposes, please contact [email protected]: Companies create company-specific production systems (XPS) by tailoring generic concepts to fit their unique situation. However, little is known about how an XPS is created. This paper aims to provide insights into the creation of an XPS. Design/methodology/approach: A retrospective case study was conducted in a Norwegian multinational company over the period 1991–2006, using archival data and interviews. Findings: The development of the XPS did not start with a master plan. Instead, dispersed existing initiatives were built upon, along with an external search for novel ideas. Widespread experimentation took place, only later to be combined into a coherent approach. Once established, the XPS was disseminated internally and further refined. The CEO orchestrated the experimentation by facilitating the adaptation and combination of different concepts and by allocating resources to institutionalize the XPS in the global network. Originality/value: This paper is the first to study how an XPS is created. This study contributes with novel empirical insights, and it highlights the role of top management in facilitating experimentation and step-by-step organizational learning.acceptedVersio

Åpne oppgaver i engelsk og fremmedspråk

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SEMG activity of jaw-closing muscles during biting with different unilateral occlusal supports

The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that experimental and reversible changes of occlusion affect the levels of surface electromyographic (SEMG) activity in the anterior temporalis and masseter areas during unilateral maximal voluntary biting (MVB) in centric and eccentric position. Changes were achieved by letting 21 healthy subjects bite with and without a cotton roll between the teeth. The placement alternated between sides and between premolar and molar areas. The SEMG activity level was lower when biting in eccentric position without than with a cotton roll between teeth ( P   0·05). In the anterior temporalis area, the balancing side SEMG activity was lower in eccentric than in centric but only in molar-supported biting ( P  = 0·026). These results support that the masseter and anterior temporalis muscles have different roles in keeping the mandible in balance during unilateral supported MVB. Changes in occlusal stability achieved by biting with versus without a cotton roll were found to affect the SEMG activity levels.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79166/1/j.1365-2842.2010.02104.x.pd

The role of leadership in organizational learning in multinational companies

Purpose - This paper aims to conceptualize the role of leadership in organizational learning processes in multinational companies (MNCs). The authors present a model describing how managers in an MNC facilitated transitions between sub-processes of organizational learning at several organizational levels. Design/methodology/approach - The authors collected data from the plants of a global process company in Norway, Brazil and China. Observation, in-depth interviews and archival material enabled one to reconstruct the organizational learning process over a period of 30 years as the company developed its own tailor-made improvement programme. Findings - Based on the data, the authors describe the role of leadership in linking the sub-processes of organizational learning as orchestration, sponsoring and persistence. Orchestration included creating faith and optimism and designing the organization to allow close cooperation between operators and managers in the sub-process of experimenting. This eased transferring and institutionalizing in the global organization. Sponsoring included structural changes to support transferring and the demonstration of dedication to improvement programme values. These factors were important for institutionalizing. Persistence involved the continuous focus on adjustment of the improvement programme, which then facilitated further experimenting. Originality/value - Firstly, this study suggests that activities and decisions in one sub-process have important implications for the following sub-processes. Secondly, this study indicates that leaders’ role in facilitating the transitions between sub-processes extend beyond their individual traits and behaviour, which previous research had focused on, and includes decisions concerning organizational structure and culture that help link social and organizational learning

The learning way to production performance : An evolutionary perspective on company-specific production systems (XPS)

Manufacturing companies (MCs) implement “best-practice” concepts such as Lean and the Toyota Production System (TPS) for enhanced production improvement. However, 30 years of research have shown that very few succeed in this implementation, which is often related to the challenge of copying Lean and TPS in various technological, political, and social contexts. As a reaction to this, MCs have explored new strategies for implementing bestpractice concepts. Instead of copying a concept, the company tailors its own “self-adjusted” concept that is built on one or more standard concepts. This phenomenon goes by the name of “company-specific production systems” (XPS) and seems to be an important trend among (global) MCs. A key point of an XPS is its strategic importance to the company. The selection of concepts and the adaptation and adjustment to the company’s uniqueness take place at a corporate level, and they are strongly supported by the top management of the company. After the creation phase, the XPS is distributed to the MC’s (global) network. Hence, the initial adjustment and tailoring process is supposed to secure adoption and standardization across the company’s network. Despite the increased interest and strategic importance of the XPS phenomenon, knowledge of how an XPS is developed and implemented is limited. For example, we know little about how standard concepts are adapted to the company’s uniqueness, or about whether an XPS helps to ensure standardization in a (global) network. Furthermore, we have little knowledge about how an XPS is institutionalized and established as continuous improvement in a network. Understanding the XPS phenomenon is, therefore, of both theoretical and practical interest