ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE IN PROCESS-BASED ORGANIZATIONS

This paper investigates the role of the organization structure in process-based organizations. We argue that companies cannot be designed upon organizational processes only or that process management can be simply imposed as an additional structural dimension on top of the existing functional or product dimension. It is more promising to consider process-based companies as organizations with a multidimensional structure with process ownership as a dominant dimension. The paper focuses on a number of consequences of the implementation of process-based organization structures. First, the complementary role of different types of processes is clarified. Second, we focus on the question how processes can be translated into the design of organizational units. Two key ideas underpin a process-based organizational structure. First, organizational units are organized around core processes. Second, other processes are added to these units minimizing the necessity of cross-unit coordination. This has several implications for planning and control activities and the way how process-based business units fit together to create a performing corporation. The latter can no longer be conceived within the traditional strategy- structure paradigm because of the fundamentally different role of middle and top managers.management and organization theory ;

Challenges and Solutions for Non-Timber Forest Product Businesses in FINLAND : An Application of the SODA Analysis

This study aims to present a holistic image of the strategic development needs and potential solutions within the Finnish non-timber forest product (NTFP) business sector and demonstrate a new hybrid methodology for collaborative strategy formulation. The perceived challenges and solutions were collected with the 635 group-working method in a nationwide series of NTFP actor workshops. The analysis applied the Strategic Option Development and Analysis (SODA) approach and the formal network analysis. Business actors emphasised two complex and interrelated aims of development at the core of the business activity: (1) to improve the profitability of the NTFP business and (2) to facilitate the growth of the sector. The present bottleneck is perceived in the raw material acquisition and productising, and many wider development themes, such as business logic and sustainability, received little attention

Productisation of services:a case study in a manufacturing company

Abstract. This thesis examines service productisation in the context of manufacturing companies. The study focuses on understandings, process, challenges of service productisation in the case Business Area. The aim is to figure out how manufacturing companies can improve their service business performance through service productisation. Three research questions are framed: 1) what is service productisation and what is its process according to the literature? 2) What is the current situation in the case BA regarding service productisation? 3) What are the recommendations on service productisation in the case BA? A qualitative single-case study design is utilised. Literature review on the topics serves as the theoretical support for realising the case study. The case study is conducted from two levels of analysis: the case Business Area and the case service. Data is collected by semi-structured interviews, observations, material learnings, and meetings. Results show that the previous literature of service productisation can work well in the case manufacturing company, from perspectives of perception, best practices, processes, benefits and challenges. Five practices are designed for productising the case service. A general framework for service productisation in the case company is put forward. Productisation facilitates the evaluation of a service product in a systematic way, which allows for discovering new business opportunities throughout the service productisation process. Generalisation of findings is concerned as they are from a single case study. The whole service productisation process is not fully implemented in the case Business area due to the time limit. Practical outcomes need to be further validated

The Finnish metal industry on the verge of the Industrial Internet as a setting for service design - Researching the digital and design maturity of the industry

This thesis examines the role of design within machinery and equipment manufacturing SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) of the Finnish metal industry. Design has traditionally been understood as a form giving activity, and often still remains so in companies of the metal industry. The industry is starting to produce an increasing amount of services partially driven by digitalisation and the Industrial Internet. Servitisation of the industry demands for new kinds of competences and service design approach could be used to support the transition from designing physical products to broader and in some cases immaterial entities. Service design approach however still remains unknown to many companies of the industry and an effort has to be made to spread the understanding of it. This research aims to gain better understanding on how digitally advanced the industry is, how familiar it is with the design approach, and how it sees it’s future in terms of digitalisation and design in practice. This study’s approach to the topic was to interview professionals from the design field and the metal industry. Eight SMEs of the industry were selected to this study and this thesis reveals how digitalisation and design are visible in practice in these companies. The research also includes one interview with a professor of the Industrial Internet at Aalto University. In addition to evaluating the maturity of the industry, the thesis seeks for successful ways of applying service design in the defined context of the study. The Industrial Internet has been described as the next Industrial Revolution and transformations at this scale affect the offerings of service providers such as design consultancies. This is also an attempt to better understand the expectations and opportunities for service design in response to the IIoT. This thesis contributes to the discussion of applying service design expertise in the metal industry under the demands of the Industrial Internet and this thesis can provide the SMEs with new ideas or answers to questions related to service design, servitisation and digitalisation. I hope that companies of the metal industry and the design community could benefit from the findings of this thesis and to create dialogue between the two of them.Tämä tutkielma käsittelee muotoilun roolia suomalaisessa kone- ja metalliteollisuudessa, ja digitalisaation sekä teollisen internetin vaikutusta näiden toimialoihin. Metalliteollisuuden toimialat tuottavat kasvavia määriä palveluita, joissa digitalisaatiolla ja teollisella internetillä on osansa. Palvelumuotoilua voidaan hyödyntää liiketoiminnan laajentuessa fyysisistä tuotteista aina aineettomiin kokonaisuuksiin saakka. Tämä tutkielma pyrkii löytämään ymmärryksen sille, kuinka digitaalisesti kehittynyt teollisuus on erityisesti teollisen internetin osalta, kuinka tietoisia yritykset ovat muotoilusta ja muotoilun metodeista, sekä kuinka yritykset näkevät tulevaisuuden digitalisaation ja muotoilun kautta. Lisäksi tutkielma pyrkii löytämään toimivia tapoja palvelumuotoilun hyödyntämiseen teollisuuden toimialojen yhteydessä. Opinnäytteen aihetta lähestyttiin haastattelemalla muotoilun ja metalliteollisuuden ammattilaisia. Mukaan on valikoitunut myös teollisen internetin professorin haastattelu. Teollista internetiä on kuvailtu seuraavaksi teolliseksi vallankumoukseksi ja tutkimuksessa selvitetään, miten tämä näkyy käytännössä kahdeksassa suomalaisen metalliteollisuuden yrityksessä. Tämän mittakaavan muutokset vaikuttavat myös palveluntarjoajien, kuten muotoiluyritysten tarjoamaan. Tutkielma pyrkii myös paremmin ymmärtämään odotuksia ja mahdollisuuksia palvelumuotoiluun liittyen tässä kontekstissa. Tämä tutkielma osallistuu keskusteluun siitä, kuinka palvelumuotoilua voidaan hyödyntää metalliteollisuudessa teollisen internetin vaatimukset huomioon ottaen. Tutkielmaan valittiin pieniä ja keskisuuria yrityksiä metalliteollisuudesta. Pk-yritykset voivat saada tästä tutkielmasta uusia ideoita tai vastauksia kysymyksiin, jotka liittyvät palvelumuotoiluun, palvelullistamiseen ja digitalisaatioon. Toivon, että teollisuus ja suunnittelijat löytävät tutkielmasta apua keskinäiseen vuoropuheluunsa

Machine Learning Operations Architecture In Healthcare Big Data Environment : Batch versus online inference

Developing and operating machine learning systems is associated with uncertainties incomparable to traditional software engineering. Managing and mitigating these uncertainties is critical especially when creating machine learning systems for clinical healthcare use. By incorporating processes and tools to develop and deploy machine learning systems in a controlled, automated, and monitored manner, machine learning operations aims to ensure quality and reliability in machine learning systems. This study provides an examination of machine learning operations in the context of healthcare and big data. First, a study project was conducted to design a machine learning operations architecture for building a machine learning based NLP solution to be integrated into an existing clinical healthcare software application. Two separate model deployment and inference architectures were designed. To test the applicability of these architectures in the context of big data, an empirical study was conducted. The results showed the batch inference architecture using Spark NLP had better performance compared to a Docker container based online inference architecture. In conclusion, the study project involving the design of a machine learning operations architecture, as well as the empirical comparison of batch inference and online inference, offer insights into the field of machine learning operations. The proposed model and the results of the comparison can be used to develop machine learning systems and make informed decisions on the selection of an inference architecture

Productising Finnish education for export: The barriers and enablers of internationalisation. A multiple case study: Fifteen members of future learning Finland

The recent Finnish policies have encouraged higher education institutions to export education abroad and, indeed, Finland has entered into a new period of change. The country is sitting on an excellent educational system encompassing many challenges and opportunities, which this thesis is aiming to unravel. The main objective of this study is to investigate the barriers to and enablers for internationalisation in universities, polytechnics and vocational education and training schools in Finland. The study was assigned by Future Learning Finland, part of FinPro, to create a sustainable and profitable education export strategy for Finland. The study took a holistic approach to productising Finnish education for export with the aim of inspiring future thesis topics. The research is qualitative and interpretative. Twenty participants involved in the education export activities in Finland were interviewed. Among them, there were three universities, seven polytechnics, three vocational institutes, three companies, the Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland and the National Union of University and Polytechnic students. The interviewed members were managers, directors, senior advisors, experts, senior lecturers and coordinators, mostly in the field of education or international business. The data from the interviews forms the empirical data of this study. Phenomenological research approach and methods were used to gather and interpret the empirical data. In particular, the author used the experts' direct quotes to categorise the barriers and enablers into 215 SWOT elements. Using the TOWS Matrix, four strategies were formulated by matching the Strengths and Weaknesses parts with the Opportunities and Threats. This thesis has numerous findings. Firstly, different stakeholders have different definitions and visions of education export. Secondly, the Finnish education is an excellent product but the process of selling it is complex, requiring extensive human and financial resources. Thirdly, business networks and personal contacts play an important role when exporting educational services, in particular, the need to forge meaningful partnerships and approach the right markets. Fourthly, the attitude towards education export in Finland is both negative and positive, the latter showcasing the Finnish exporters' motivation to succeed in the internationalisation of Finnish education. Finally, the customers are the most important element when productising and internationalising education, and Finnish exporters should focus on building and delivering products that meet customers' needs and expectations. The conclusion from the findings indicates that Finland has know-how strengths, as well as, weaknesses on a national level, however on an individual level the skills and capabilities to productise and/or internationalise are scattered around different organisations. This means that Finland as a whole has the potential to perform education export activities but each organisation alone will struggle, if not fail, to successfully sell its services abroad. Thus, there is a great need in Finland to work in consortiums or a cluster before expanding internationally. As a result, the author recommends four strategies that form "The Building Blocks of Finnish Education Export", proposing a new perspective regarding productisation as a process. Productising educational services in Finland has been previously perceived as building and packaging services into products, but in today's reality it should be more about producing what the customer wants and needs in a way that these products/services are sellable and most importantly profitable

5G-Network-Based Connectivity and Data Platforms for Smart Cities– an Explorative Case Study of Drivers for Industry Transformation

Digital platforms, more detailed connectivity and increased availability of data are re-shaping markets. This is an opportunity for telecom companies to partner with other industries and offerings. We conduct an explorative case study to understand the connectivity and data platforms in smart cities. The contribution of our study is that it provides insights on the business models, platform control and competitive strategy in smart cities. Specifically, we find that the understanding of business models together with political, economic, social, environmental, technological and legal aspects are prerequisites to successful cases. Finally, we highlight the importance of co-creation and collaboration, as a means to tackle the challenges of platform localisations. Based on our findings we indicate promising aspects for future research in these fields.©2022 the authors. Published by University of Hawaii. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed