IT integration, operations flexibility and performance: an empirical study

Purpose: This study examines the relationship between IT implementation and performance with manufacturing flexibility based on a sample drawn from a set of manufacturing firms. Design/methodology/approach: The relationships were analyzed using structural equations modelling (SEM) using EQS 6.2 software. Previously, an explanatory factor analysis confirmed one-dimensionality of the scales, Cronbach’s alpha was calculated to evaluate its internal consistency and a confirmatory factor analysis was run to observe scales’ validity. Findings: This research proves a significant positive and direct effect of IT implementation on operations performance with 4 out of 6 flexibility dimensions (Machine, Labour, Material handling and Volume). Mix and Routing flexibility dimensions show no significant impact on firm performance. Research limitations/implications: It is necessary to be cautious when generalizing this findings these findings, as service firms were not part of the sample even when statistical results prove robustness suggesting that the findings are quite reliable. Some flexibility dimensions show no significant impact in performance (Routing and Mix flexibility). This is consistent with the fact that these flexibility dimensions act as variability absorbers within the manufacturing process. Future research lines: Future studies can focus on determining further internal and environmental factors that affect operations flexibility according to specific sector characteristics. Originality/value: This research proves a significant positive and direct effect of IT implementation on operations performance. Results show not only the links between IT implementation and operations performance, but also the magnitude of every impact. The model considers IT integration as the degree of alignment that existing technology resources in a firm have with the business strategy, in terms of importance and support for this strategyPeer Reviewe

Managerial networks and strategic flexibility: A QM perspective

Purpose – The paper aims to study the effect of external managerial social networks on strategic flexibility for a quality management (QM) perspective. External social networks can affect strategic flexibility positively. QM also contributes to developing these networks. However, there is currently a wide variety of alternatives for managing quality in organizations, such as ISO standards or the European Foundation for Quality Management model. Thus, different alternatives will influence the external social networks differently in ways that have repercussions for strategic flexibility. Testing these differences is the main purpose of this paper. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 203 valid responses were classified in three groups: non‐QM, ISO, and total quality management (TQM) firms. Then, a comparative ANOVA analysis was performed to test differences among groups. Finally, different regressions were run to test the effects of external social networks (range, size and strength) on strategic flexibility depending of the observed group. Findings – Paper results show that, depending on which QM initiative is implemented in the organization, the effects of external managerial networks on strategic flexibility vary. Thus, in organizations without QM, the range of external social networks influences strategic flexibility negatively, whereas in organizations with ISO standards, this negative effect disappears. In organizations with TQM, the paper finds the positive effect of both size and strength of relations in the networks. Practical implications – The paper facilitates how to differentiate QM alternatives depending on their observed behavior. Originality/value – A new perspective (QM) is observed to test how managerial networks affect strategic flexibility

External managerial networks, strategic flexibility and organizational learning: A comparative study between Non-QM, ISO and TQM firms

"This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Total Quality Management and Business Excellence on 18 Jun 2012, available online: http://wwww.tandfonline.com/10.1080/14783363.2012.669558".This paper studies the effect of external managerial social networks on strategic flexibility and organizational learning, considering three groups of analysis (Non-QM, ISO and TQM firms). At the present, there is a wide variety of alternatives for managing quality in organizations, such as ISO Standards or the EFQM model. Thus, different alternatives will influence the external social networks differently, affecting strategic flexibility and organizational learning, as literature on external social networks suggests that they can affect strategic flexibility and organizational learning positively. Through a comparative ANOVA analysis and step-wise regressions, we observe that external social networks affect strategic flexibility and organizational learning positively, primarily through greater size of the networks. On the other hand, we find that, depending on the QM initiative implemented in the organization, other effects vary. For example, in organizations without QM, the range of external social networks influences strategic flexibility negatively, whereas in organizations with ISO standards, this negative effect disappears. In organizations with TQM, we find the positive effect of both size and strength. For organizational learning, a negative relationship between this capability and network range was found for Non-QM firms group. These relationships turned positive for TQM firms group

Virtual Special Issue on Responsible Innovation in Times of Crisis

The social and economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on humanity is already devastating. The pandemic demands responsibility from companies to step up for the service of society. Companies must show their commitment not only to shareholders but also to all of their stakeholders, while also putting their resources and expertise at the service of governments and the entire society. Firm responsible innovation is a positive impactful alternative to combat Covid-19. This Virtual Special Issue presents a collection of recent articles on responsible innovation —innovation oriented towards avoiding harm, doing good and developing responsible governance that involves establishing institutions, structures, and procedures to facilitate innovation (Voegtlin and Scherer, 2017)— connected to situations of crisis. We hope that these research works can help understand the business responsibilities in the current 2020 global Covid-19 pandemic even though this crisis is unprecedented and is demanding of much faster action to save lives. Briefly summarizing this set of articles covers the role of business in tackling grand societal challenges through innovation (Candi et al., 2019) and civic engagement (Skarmeas et al., 2019), the role of post-disaster business communities (Dinger et al., 2019), and innovation in multi-stakeholder settings (Rühli et al., 2017). This Virtual Special Issue also wants to serve as an action call to business ethics researchers to study how such global crisis is affecting the way businesses reorient their responsibilities, embark in cross-sector collaborations, and develop rapid responsible innovation to fight Covid-19

Companies vs Coronavirus: A Call for Rapid Responsible Innovation

This note is both a call for immediate action and hopefully also inspiration for companies to act against the COVID-19/Coronavirus outbreak in the form of rapid responsible innovation — innovation developed in a short period of time in a state of emergency with the hope of protecting people and saving lives. The current global pandemic has caught the entire world off guard and driven companies to step up in service of society. Companies now have the potential to show their commitment not only to shareholders but also to all their stakeholders

Growth and Income Poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean: Evidence from Household Surveys

This paper provides evidence on growth and income poverty in Latin American and the Caribbean. Results are obtained by processing microdata from household surveys of 18 LAC countries covering the 1990s and early 2000s. Over this period the LAC economies have experienced very heterogeneous patterns of growth and poverty changes. Most countries in the region have had a rather meager performance in terms of poverty reduction. Episodes of positive, significant and unambiguously pro-poor income growth have been rare in Latin America in the last 15 years.poverty, growth, inequality, pro-poor growth, Latin America.

Six Sigma and organisational ambidexterity: a systematic review and conceptual framework

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to analyse the relationship between Six Sigma methodology and organisational ambidexterity (exploitation and exploration orientations). For this purpose, this study describes how Six Sigma practices may enhance both orientations simultaneously, contributing to organisational ambidexterity and performance improvements. Design/methodology/approach – A systematic literature review was adopted as the research methodology. The authors analysed 512 publications in Social Science Citation Index journals in fields such as management, business, operation research management science, planning development, behavioural sciences, interdisciplinary social sciences and applied psychology from 1987 to 2016, as the first development and adoption of Six Sigma was in 1987 by Motorola. Findings – This analysis describes how Six Sigma emphasises not only useful practices for exploitation orientation, such as customer input, design for manufacturability or improvement and control of processes, but also explorative practices, such as discovery, novelty or innovation. Consequently, an adequate combination of all these practices may enhance organisational ambidexterity and organisational success. Research limitations/implications – This study relies exclusively on previously published literature that fulfilled the selection criteria described in the search methodology. Further empirical research is necessary to test the propositions included in this paper. Practical implications – This study has important implications for academics, practitioners and employers, as it furnishes new theoretical insights to the scarce literature that studies the relationship between quality management practices and organisational ambidexterity. The authors provide a better understanding of Six Sigma philosophy and some fresh and new insight on how Six Sigma practices may help organisation develop distinctive competitive competences by its influence over exploration and exploitation orientations (ambidexterity). Therefore, it might be of interest to those practitioners interested in achieving a successful competitive position and discover emerging business opportunities, as it may provide some guidance on the important implication of Six Sigma practices over exploration and exploitation orientations. Originality/value – This study provides new insights into the non-existent literature about Six Sigma and organisational ambidexterity and to the scarce literature about quality management and ambidexterity. Propositions on how Six Sigma practices benefit organisational ambidexterity are also suggested

The Role of Human Resource-Related Quality Management Practices in New Product Development: A Dynamic Capability Perspective

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to adopt the dynamic capability (DC) view as a theoretical framework to empirically investigate the relationships among human resource (HR)-related quality management (QM) practices: new product development (NPD) as a specific DC, learning orientation, knowledge integration, and strategic flexibility. Learning orientation and knowledge integration represent two antecedents of strategic flexibility, and strategic flexibility is the developed ability that facilitates NPD. Design/methodology/approach To empirically test the relationships, the authors used data from 236 European firms and performed structural equation modeling. Findings Results indicate that HR-related QM practices contribute to creating a learning-oriented company, integrating knowledge, and supporting successful NPD. Furthermore, knowledge integration is positively related to NPD through strategic flexibility. Practical implications This study is relevant for practitioners because it identifies key points in QM implementation that enable firms to be more strategically flexible and thus better able to regularly develop new products. Originality/value When organizations must sustain their competitive positions by continuously adapting to environmental changes, it is important to study not only how QM implementation is positively related to the firm performance on which a significant portion of the QM literature has focused but also to study whether QM implementation is related to strategic variables and can make a contribution to strategic processes. To fill the void in the HR and QM literature, this study offers an integrated framework with empirical support that identifies the role of HR-related QM practices in learning orientation, knowledge integration, strategic flexibility, and NPD

An Integrative Model for Lean Six Sigma Implementation in Logistics Services Environments

Lean Six Sigma (LSS) constitutes a successful initiative for organizational improvement. Despite this success, literature does not include an integrative model for its organizational and practical implementation in logistics services environments. This paper fills this gap and proposes such an overall framework. At the present, logistics services play a fundamental role in supply chain management and organizational competiveness context. For these purposes, the paper carries out a literature review of peer reviewed journals related to LSS implementation and the logistics services context, which culminates in a proposed integrative model. Furthermore, associated with this model, a set of theoretical propositions are included. Finally, the paper discusses implications and lines for further research

Boosting sustainability and financial performance: the role of supply chain controversies

In recent years, numerous scandals concerning working conditions in Asia have threatened the reputation of large companies like Wal-Mart and Inditex. Since such scandals call attention to activities harmful to sustainable development, it is very important to study the relationships between concerns for sustainable supply chain management (SSCM), sustainability, and organisations’ market value. The added value of our study is, first, to explore SSCM controversies as drivers of or pressures for adopting and applying sustainability practices; and, second, to contribute to the recent but growing literature that analyses the channels through which SSCM and sustainability practices influence the firm’s value. We introduce sustainability environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices as a mediator between SSCM controversies and market value to examine whether SSCM controversies with firms’ stakeholders lead to improvements in the ESG dimensions of organisational sustainability. We also examine the relationships between the ESG dimensions and market value, measured as Tobin’s Q ratio. The results confirm both the positive relationships of SSCM controversies to the ESG dimensions two years later and a positive relationship of the dimension of governance to Tobin’s Q. We also confirm a negative and significant relationship of the social dimension to Tobin’s Q, and a non-significant relationship of the environmental dimension to Tobin’s Q