Policy and External Environment Program Instability

Lean Aircraft Initiative Plenary Workshop presentatio

Measuring the Efficiency of Commonality Implementation: Application to Commercial Aircraft Cockpits

Increasing commonality across their models allows commercial aircraft manufacturers to reduce the product development cycle time and tailor their models to their customers’ needs. The cockpit is an area where commonality is thought to be particularly desirable, since it also simplifies the pilots training process for the airline companies. However, no set of metrics is currently able to measure the efficiency of commonality application at this level from a total lifecycle standpoint. In this paper, we propose a set of metrics adapted to large commercial aircraft and taking into account the main parts of the product lifecycle. The concept of lead time is central in our measurement of commonality, as it strongly influences the value of the aircraft for all primary stakeholders. We examine the extent to which these metrics are independent from aircraft particularities (such as physical dimensions). We indicate their limitations and what additional research should be performed to obtain a set of metrics able to measure the efficiency of commonality implementation for the whole aircraft. We use the example of two competing medium-haul aircraft families to test our set of metrics. We evaluate the efficiency of commonality according to our metrics and we compare with field results obtained from the manufacturers’ studies and from the results of interviews of airlines pilots. We show how our se

Knowledge in flux : the transfer of technology and practice in an international joint venture

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 1995.Includes bibliographical references (p. 173-180).by Eric S. Rebentisch.Ph.D

A knowledge asset-based view of technology transfer in international joint ventures

"February 1993, Revised September 1993.

Into the Black Box: The Knowledge Transformation Cycle

This paper examines how knowledge is integrated in complex technology and product development settings. By framing the task of knowledge integration as a cycle, we highlight the inability of current knowledge transfer theories to explain the consequences that arise from the path-dependent nature of knowledge. We compare the complexity of this knowledge integration task to previous efforts in terms of its novelty and the organizational properties of specialization and dependence that are required. Drawing on evidence from two empirical studies, we outline three stages of the "knowledge transformation cycle," which addresses the complexity of this integration task. We conclude with the implications of this knowledge transformation cycle on our understanding of knowledge management and organizational learning.Knowledge Transfer, Boundary Spanning, Organizational Learning, Product Development

35 years of excellence, and perspectives ahead for excellence 4.0

About 35 years ago, the word 'excellence' entered the business lexicon, quickly making its way into the quality community. Today, excellence has proved to be a valid quality initiative by promoting performance improvements in organisations across the world. But in the face of new industrial paradigms, it also faces challenges - some novel and disruptive; some old and with renewed strength. While in many areas, including the field of quality, discussions regarding the future are common, in the specific case of excellence these have been rare. The driver behind this work is to understand the current state and the future challenges of excellence, supporting these perspectives in a broad literature review covering its history. The results highlight the achievements of excellence, its limitations and challenges, and the key concepts that need addressing in the scope of dealing with the industrial models of the future. Altogether, it looks at the relationships between excellence and other quality initiatives, and identifies opportunities for improvement. By covering the history of excellence, and identifying solutions that can be adapted and integrated in its scope, we hope to present our contributions for sparking discussion and help the development of a robust excellence approach for the future.- The wish to acknowledge the support provided by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Technologia) to this work through [grant number PD/BD/114149/2016]