Critical success factors in the management of ideas as an essential component of innovation and business excellence

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 214-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilberto Santos ◽  
José Afonseca ◽  
Nuno Lopes ◽  
Maria João Félix ◽  
Federica Murmura
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Critical Success ◽  
Business Excellence ◽  
Idea Management ◽  
A Company ◽  
Goals And Objectives

Purpose This research aims to focus on the idea management system (IMS) with the main purpose of identifying and describing the factors that promote success in managing ideas, grounded on the analysis of case studies. Design/methodology/approach The method used consists of a case study and semi-structured interviews with those directly responsible for the management of ideas from four companies, which are presented in this paper. Findings The main findings, critical for the success of an IMS, are as follow: the involvement of top management, evidence of results, establishment of goals and objectives, dissemination of good results, willingness to share and develop ideas, complete transparency in the management of ideas, maintenance of dynamic and proactive attitudes and mainly recognition. All have been described. Research limitations/implications This work presents a preliminary framework for further research toward the study of CSFs inherent to IMSs that is still bound by the limited number of case studies presented. Further research should be undertaken to broaden and consolidate the presented CFSs and their pertinence. Originality/value This study, although limited to four case studies, presents conclusive results that support managers of suggestion systems/IMSs in improving or deploying such systems. The main factors were identified and described. They can contribute to the effectiveness of employee suggestion system. It can be reasoned from this investigation that the contributions from employees toward the success of a company leads to excellence in business.

Total business excellence – a new management model for operationalizing excellence

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 942-984 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehran C. Ferdowsian
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Critical Success Factors ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Management Model ◽  
Ethical Problems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Critical Success ◽  
Business Excellence ◽  
Underlying Causes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and address the underlying causes of costly quality/ethical problems that have prevented companies to achieve and sustain excellence. More broadly, the study has leveraged data from multiple sources to determine root-cause issues and propose a new management model that enables leadership to prevent and effectively address quality/ethical problems by operationalizing excellence. For the purpose of this research, operationalization is defined in terms of developing a sustained culture of excellence and enabling a firm to systematically prevent, detect, and address costly problems in their daily operations. Design/methodology/approach – The study has defined the concept of excellence in terms of measurable results based on ten critical success factors: products, financials, stakeholders, employees, leadership, societal, operational, innovation, alignment, and ethical excellence. To identify and address the underlying causes, this study has used a spiral research model to develop and improve an assessment process for the consistent examination of three types of firms: national quality award recipients, successful and responsible Fortune-500 companies, and landmark ethical violators. Findings from case studies were then substantiated using results from current research studies and conclusions from over 20 years of international field work/experience. Findings – To operationalize excellence, this study found that organizations need to develop a foundation for two tightly coupled and inseparable variables: ethics, excellence. Case studies show when these two variables are inadequately planned, integrated, checked, and enforced across business operations, they cause serious and costly problems. This foundation enables a firm to maximize performance, the return on investment, and to sustain performance in each of these critical success factors (CSFs) using the following interconnected building blocks of excellence: grander purpose, measurable results, effective collaboration, leadership development, individual development, continuous alignment, continuous innovation, ethics management, and ethics foundation. Research limitations/implications – The application of the assessment instrument proved to be complex due to the difficulties of transforming conjecture into certainty using existing online corporate records (e.g. understanding true leadership intention). Findings of this study are applicable to any industry and type and size company. The building blocks of this new management model should not be developed and implemented in an isolated, standalone, or piecemeal manner; nor should they be forced onto an organization as a new program. For best results, each building block needs to be implemented as an interconnected component of a complete and total system of management and infused into the fabric of the culture as a normal part of the daily operations. Originality/value – Total business excellence is a proposed new management model for operationalizing excellence. This new model serves three major purposes. First, it enables an enterprise to responsibly deliver a continuous flow of innovative and competitive products as defined and measured by ten CSFs. Second, it enables management to prevent costly quality/ethical problems by developing a unified and responsible strategy for planning, execution, and quality. Most importantly, it provides a missing platform of opportunity where individuals can incrementally grow and develop as they add meaningful personal, professional, and societal value.

Collaborative design in public services: a wicked problem-reframing case

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrícia Moura e Sá ◽  
Catarina Frade ◽  
Fernanda Jesus ◽  
Mónica Lopes ◽  
Teresa Maneca Lima ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Design ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Wicked Problem ◽  
Low Density ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Critical Success ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Right

PurposeWicked problems require collaborative innovation approaches. Understanding the problem from the users' perspective is essential. Based on a complex and ill-defined case, the purpose of the current paper is to identify some critical success factors in defining the “right problem” to be addressed.Design/methodology/approachAn empirical research study was carried out in a low-density municipality (case study). Extensive data were collected from official databases, individual semi-structured interviews and a focus group involving citizens, local authorities, civil servants and other relevant stakeholders.FindingsAs defined by the central government, the problem to be addressed by the research team was to identify which justice services should be made available locally to a small- and low-density community. The problem was initially formulated using top-down reasoning. In-depth contact with citizens and key local players revealed that the lack of justice services was not “the issue” for that community. Mobility constraints and the shortage of economic opportunities had a considerable impact on the lack of demand for justice services. By using a bottom-up perspective, it was possible to reframe the problem to be addressed and suggest a new concept to be tested at later stages.Social implicationsThe approach followed called attention to the importance of listening to citizens and local organisations with a profound knowledge of the territory to effectively identify and circumscribe a local problem in the justice field.Originality/valueThe paper highlights the limitations of traditional rational problem-solving approaches and contributes to expanding the voice-of-the-customer principle showing how it can lead to a substantially new definition of the problem to be addressed.

Prioritised challenges and critical success factors for delivering quality education in Malaysian private higher education institutions

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 465-492
Author(s):  
Azilah Anis ◽  
Rafikul Islam
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Hierarchical Model ◽  
Critical Success Factors ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Quality Education ◽  
Private Higher Education ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Critical Success

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a hierarchical model to rank the challenges faced by the private Malaysian higher education institutions (HEIs) in the provision of quality education and subsequently their corresponding critical success factors (CSFs) to address those challenges. Design/methodology/approach A sequential mix method was adopted in this study. Semi-structured interviews with 29 participants were initially conducted to identify the challenges and CSFs. This was followed by a questionnaire survey involving 158 respondents to prioritise the identified findings. Thematic analysis was conducted in the qualitative stage, uncovering the challenges and their corresponding CSFs. Data for both stages were accumulated from internal and external stakeholders of Malaysian private HEIs. Finally, the four stages of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) were applied to rank the challenges and CSFs. Findings The qualitative stage identified eight challenges, i.e. “academics”, “facilities”, “students”, “programmes and curriculum”, “competition”, “accreditation”, “finance” and “research” together with their corresponding CSFs. The AHP enables the ranking of these challenges. “Finance” has been found to be the most crucial challenge and “high competency in managing the institution’s finance” as the most important CSF to address this challenge. Research limitations/implications As the study restricted its focus on Malaysian private HEIs, the results may not be generalised for public HEIs and foreign private HEIs operating in Malaysia. Originality/value The hierarchical model developed in this study is deemed important for implementation to resolve the prioritised challenges. It spells out the specific areas in which the resources of Malaysian private HEIs need to be prudently disbursed and properly managed.

Healthcare leaders’ views on successful quality improvement initiatives and context

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart Barson ◽  
Fiona Doolan-Noble ◽  
Jonathon Gray ◽  
Robin Gauld
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Critical Success Factors ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Contextual Factors ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Critical Success ◽  
Source Of Information ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Healthcare Leaders

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the contextual factors contributing to the sustainability of healthcare quality improvement (QI) initiatives. Design/methodology/approach Themes from semi-structured interviews with international healthcare leaders are compared with Kaplan and Provost et al.’s (2012) model for understanding success in quality (MUSIQ). Critical success factors within these themes are shown in detail. Findings The interviews provide a rich source of information on critical success factors. The themes largely correspond with MUSIQ, reinforcing its robustness. An important factor emerging from the interviews was the importance of engagement with patients and families in QI, and this needs consideration in seeking to understand context in QI. Research limitations/implications Interview participants represent a limited set of western countries and health systems. Their experiences may not hold true in other settings. Practical implications The detail on critical success factors provides QI practitioners with guidance on designing and implementing sustainable initiatives. Originality/value Including consideration of contextual factors for engagement with patients and families in frameworks for context in QI appears to be an original idea that will add value to such frameworks. Researchers in patient engagement are starting to address contextual factors and connections should be made with this work.

scholarly journals Supply chain strategy for companies in the luxury-fashion market

2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (10/11) ◽  
pp. 940-966 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Maria Castelli ◽  
Andrea Sianesi
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Supply Chain Strategy ◽  
Critical Success ◽  
The World ◽  
Luxury Market ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show how it is possible to take into account the objectives that fashion-luxury companies pursue on the final market (i.e. critical success factors (CSF) – of luxury) and propagate them in the upstream steps of the supply chain (SC) in order to understand how the latter can be aligned to the market. Design/methodology/approach – An extensive literature review allowed the identification of SC objectives. Case studies were used in order to asses choices and practices applied along the SC of luxury companies were assessed through in depth case studies; hence, the relationship between choices/practices, SC objectives and luxury CSF was explored. Findings – The paper documents that success in the luxury market not only depends on branding and marketing but also on the choices made along the SC, to the point that it is possible to identify some SC choices and practices that support the achievement of luxury CSF. Research limitations/implications – The results presented represent a useful guideline and offer some methodological suggestions; however, the precise set of SC objectives have to be tailored on each specific brand, according to the uniqueness that characterizes luxury companies. Practical implications – The paper suggests which areas of the SC should be mostly targeted in order to achieve success in the luxury market, also indicating some possible concrete choices. Originality/value – The main value of this paper consists in shaping a first explicit connection among the world of luxury as it is perceived by the consumers and the world of the SC.

Implementing a Lean Six Sigma standardized toolset in a manufacturing company: a case study

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolaos A. Panayiotou ◽  
Konstantinos E. Stergiou ◽  
Vassilis Chronopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Six Sigma ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Lean Six Sigma ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Manufacturing Company

PurposeThe first purpose of this paper is the implementation of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in a manufacturing company operating in South East Europe in order to understand the importance of critical success factors (CSFs) in LSS adoption and to find out the benefits that the company gained. The second purpose is to propose a standardized toolset based on DMAIC phases, for the application of LSS in small scale projects, in order to facilitate LSS adoption by more manufacturing companies.Design/methodology/approachThis case study is based on the interlacement of the Yin's method about case studies and the DMAIC method for the improved deployment of LSS.FindingsThe analysis of this case study shows that the company attained to benefit financially, operationally and organizationally from the implementation of LSS. The already existing mentality of CI inside the company helped the project procedure and the application of changes and improvements fulfilling LSS adoption CSFs.Practical implicationsThe paper constructs a toolset and studies the role of CSFs in order to achieve the desirable benefits in a manufacturing environment, constituting a guide for future LSS initiatives.Originality/valueAs stated by literature reviews, even though there are several papers concerning LSS implementation in the manufacturing sector, there is a need for more case studies papers, such as this one, in order to enrich the literature. In this paper, it is also the first time that a specific toolset for small scale projects is proposed based on to DMAIC which can be implemented in further LSS projects.

Cross-sectional comparison of public-private partnerships in transport infrastructure development in Nigeria

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 875-900 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon Olusola Babatunde ◽  
Srinath Perera
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Political Support ◽  
Transport Infrastructure ◽  
Success Factor ◽  
Infrastructure Projects ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Although scientific research community has shown considerable interest in identifying critical success factors (CSFs) for public-private partnership (PPP) projects, yet effort at assessing and compare CSFs within similar PPP infrastructure projects received scant attention. The purpose of this paper is to identify, assess, and compare the CSFs in PPP transport infrastructure projects. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted literature review and three PPP case studies including structured interviews and review of documentary reports in each case study. The outcome of literature review provided a total list of 26 identified success factors, which was used to design a case study protocol using failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) technique. FMEA was conducted on each 26 identified success factor to assess their criticality in the three PPP case studies. Findings The results of FMEA revealed a total of ten CSFs in the concession of the road; four CSFs in the concession of the airport; and eight CSFs in the concession of the seaport. Also, the cross-case analysis showed the three prevalent CSFs, this includes government involvement by providing guarantees, political support, and project economic viability. Practical implications The study findings including lessons learnt in each case study would positively influence policy development towards PPP transport infrastructure projects and the manner in which partners (i.e. public and private sector) go about the development of PPP transport projects. Originality/value This research would help PPP stakeholders to focus their attention and priorities in managing the identified CSFs in achieving long-term success in PPP transport infrastructure projects implementation.

Assessing sustainability of employee suggestion schemes: a framework

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 350-372
Author(s):  
Flevy Lasrado
Keyword(s):  
Success Factors ◽  
Potential Change ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Change Strategies ◽  
Assessment Framework ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Critical Success ◽  
Five Factors ◽  
System Effectiveness

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the employee suggestion scheme of three organizations based in the United Arab Emirates. A framework that consists of five sustainability factors identified based on an empirical study has been applied. The sustainability factors identified through this study include leadership and organizational environment, system capability, system effectiveness, organizational encouragement and system barrier. The paper draws conclusions about the key practices necessary to foster sustainability of the employee suggestion system. The paper then presents a final framework that the organizations can apply to assess their suggestion schemes and to develop potential change strategies. The study findings reveal the importance of five factors, and with more cases, future research can be conducted to identify further practices relevant to specific industry. More levels of maturity for sustainability suggestion system could also be defined with future research. Design/methodology/approach – The assessment framework was developed drawing on a thorough review of the literature and data collected and analyzed using various statistical tools. The developed assessment framework was validated using case study method. Semi-structured interviews were used to elicit relevant information during the case study. Findings – An assessment framework comprising five major factors for sustainability of suggestion scheme of has been presented. The five factors include: leadership and work environment, system capability, system effectiveness, organizational encouragement and system barriers. Sustainability of a suggestion system can be understood as a three-stage model comprising three stages: the initial stage, the developmental stage and the advanced stage. The key practices associated for each of these stages are discussed in detail. Research limitations/implications – The framework has taken into consideration the critical success factors, and critical success factors emerged from the literature review conducted for this study. The framework therefore could be further refined by conducting more case studies and can propose maturity levels. Originality/value – The paper has developed a framework that can be used to assess the sustainability of the suggestion scheme in an organization. This model has been applied to assess the individual schemes and draw upon potential change strategies.

Rapid benchmarking: the case of a multinational dairy company

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rubab Malik ◽  
Robin Mann ◽  
Rebecca Knapman
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Rapid Improvement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Internal Benchmarking ◽  
The Right

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to investigate and document a new approach to best practice benchmarking called rapid benchmarking. Rapid benchmarking is defined by the authors as an approach to dramatically shorten the typical length of time to conduct a successful best practice benchmarking project.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology involved a case study exploration of a multinational dairy company's best practice benchmarking approach using structured interviews and data collection to examine the speed and results achieved through its benchmarking approach and whether it was justified in naming it as rapid benchmarking. A comparison of the speed of the dairy company's approach was undertaken against 24 other organisations that had utilised the same benchmarking methodology (TRADE Best Practice Benchmarking). In addition, a literature review was undertaken to search for other cases of rapid benchmarking and compare rapid benchmarking with other rapid improvement approaches.FindingsThe findings revealed that the approach used by the dairy company was unique, with best practices being identified and action plans signed off for deployment within a five-day period (far quicker than the average time of 211 days reported by other organisations). Key success factors for rapid benchmarking were found to be allocating five dedicated days for the benchmarking team to spend on the project, identifying the right team members for the project, obtaining sponsorship support for the project and providing intensive facilitation support through a benchmarking facilitator.Research limitations/implicationsOnly one company was found to use a rapid benchmarking approach; therefore, the findings are from one case study. The depth of analysis presented was restricted due to commercial sensitivity.Practical implicationsThe rapid benchmarking approach is likely to be of great interest to practitioners, providing them with a new way of finding solutions and best practices to address challenges that need to be solved quickly or with minimal expense. For organisations that have been using benchmarking for many years, the research will enable them to re-evaluate their own benchmarking approach and consider if rapid benchmarking could be used for some projects, particularly for internal benchmarking where it is easier to apply.Originality/valueThis research is the first to identify and document a rapid benchmarking approach and the first to provide a detailed analysis of the length of time it takes to undertake best practice benchmarking projects (and each stage of a benchmarking project).

Critical success factors for TQM implementation among manufacturing SMEs

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 473-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Svetoslav Georgiev ◽  
Seiichi Ohtaki
Keyword(s):  
Success Factors ◽  
Implementation Process ◽  
International Study ◽  
Shop Floor ◽  
Success Factor ◽  
Total Quality ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Critical Success ◽  
Management Involvement

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address a perennial question regarding the importance of soft total quality management (TQM) as part of the TQM implementation process – a topic that has been significantly understudied. Specifically, the authors address previous calls in the literature for stressing the soft aspects of TQM and for drawing a critical success factor (CSF) list that is formulated on the basis of empirical research instead of theory. Design/methodology/approach This is a comparative qualitative case study of three manufacturing SMEs combining empirical data from in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a large variety of stakeholders – from top managers to shop-floor workers, site visits and observations. Findings The study identifies 12 soft CSFs, and while most of these factors have been well-documented in the literature (e.g. top management involvement and leadership), the authors show evidence for the existence of other soft constructs that have not been considered or have been given little importance previously (i.e. middle management involvement and support, reward and recognition, CSR focus). Research limitations/implications The study fills two major gaps in the (T)QM literature. First, it enriches the understanding of TQM implementation among Japanese SMEs. Second, it addresses the importance of soft TQM as part of the TQM implementation process. Practical implications This paper provides company owners and managers with valuable knowledge that may assist their organisations in the pursuit of business excellence including higher product quality and employee satisfaction. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first (international) study to investigate TQM implementation within the context of Japanese SMEs.

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