scholarly journals Inverted Hierarchies on the Shop Floor: The Organisational Layer of Workarounds for Collaboration in the Metal Industry

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frauke Mörike
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Metal Industry ◽  
Shop Floor ◽  
Work Processes ◽  
Relevant Research ◽  
Organisational Context ◽  
Information Power ◽  
A Company ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractWorkarounds, or practices that deviate from the official pathway to a target, are frequent phenomena in the organisational context. With respect to collaboration, they highlight an area of mismatch between normative versus lived work practices, and therefore depict a relevant research area deeply rooted in computer supported cooperative work (CSCW). Building on the theory of hierarchical opposition by Louis Dumont and empirical data collected through ethnographic research at a company classified as a small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) in the German metal industry, this paper addresses the emergence of workarounds in collaborative work processes by setting them into the wider organisational context. The organisational layer of analysis reveals that workarounds emerge to cater for inversed information power relations and information asymmetries in the shop floor setting, which require communication to flow against the hierarchical slope between planning and execution functions. By applying an organisational lens to the concept of workarounds, this paper contributes a novel empirical analysis that confirms the value of workarounds as a source of insight into collaborative practices.

Servant Leadership: A systematic literature review—toward a model of antecedents and outcomes

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan G Langhof ◽  
Stefan Güldenberg
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Servant Leadership ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Leadership Model ◽  
Management Literature ◽  
Insight Into

The purpose of this article is multi-layered. First, we focus on gaining a comprehensive insight into a research area which just recently received more recognition in management literature: servant leadership. Second, we identify antecedent and outcomes of servant leadership within the existing research body. Third, we synthesize and develop a comprehensive servant leadership model. It assists academics and practitioners in keeping pace with the increasing servant leadership literature. The systematic literature review provides explanations as to why managers practice servant leadership. The study also contributes to a better understanding of the outcomes of servant leadership and brings clarity to a discombobulated group of studies.

scholarly journals Interoperability in Smart Manufacturing: Research Challenges

Machines ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abe Zeid ◽  
Sarvesh Sundaram ◽  
Mohsen Moghaddam ◽  
Sagar Kamarthi ◽  
Tucker Marion
Keyword(s):  
Data Exchange ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Smart Manufacturing ◽  
Shop Floor ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Integrated Networks ◽  
Software Packages ◽  
Industrial Internet ◽  
Logical Semantics ◽  
And Control

Recent advances in manufacturing technology, such as cyber–physical systems, industrial Internet, AI (Artificial Intelligence), and machine learning have driven the evolution of manufacturing architectures into integrated networks of automation devices, services, and enterprises. One of the resulting challenges of this evolution is the increased need for interoperability at different levels of the manufacturing ecosystem. The scope ranges from shop–floor software, devices, and control systems to Internet-based cloud-platforms, providing various services on-demand. Successful implementation of interoperability in smart manufacturing would, thus, result in effective communication and error-prone data-exchange between machines, sensors, actuators, users, systems, and platforms. A significant challenge to this is the architecture and the platforms that are used by machines and software packages. A better understanding of the subject can be achieved by studying industry-specific communication protocols and their respective logical semantics. A review of research conducted in this area is provided in this article to gain perspective on the various dimensions and types of interoperability. This article provides a multi-faceted approach to the research area of interoperability by reviewing key concepts and existing research efforts in the domain, as well as by discussing challenges and solutions.

Advantages in Environmental Compliance For Maritime Corrosion Control

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Lethe
Keyword(s):  
Material Selection ◽  
Shop Floor ◽  
Chief Financial Officer ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
The Past ◽  
New Methods ◽  
Traditional Procedure ◽  
Environmentally Sound ◽  
A Company ◽  
Selection Of

The need for environmentally compliant processes and materials in the Painting Industry grows more pressing every day. As the need for these processes grows, so grows the confusion regarding the selection and implementation of these new methods and materials. In the past, price and traditional procedure were the only criteria by which a material was procured. Speed and compliance with Original Equipment Manufacturer specification governed how things were done on the shop floor. With the advent of the environmental regulations, processes are being examined all across the globe. In many of the larger companies, the chief environmental officer has as important a role as the comptroller or Chief Financial Officer. Environmental managers are often not chemists or line painters, and typically, the environmental manager is skilled only in the policies of waste disposal, spill clean up, or remediation. The methods whereby a company can minimize the generation of hazardous waste remain less familiar. Often the examination of possible alternate techniques and materials are left for the last minute, or are conducted by personnel who are unfamiliar with how to make changes work. This is usually a recipe for failure in the implementing of anything new. This paper will suggest methods for selection of alternative products and processes in a clear and organized manner. Salient discussion points will be: 1. Process Examination 2. Material Selection 3. Steps For Successful Implementation 4. Possible Impediments 5. How to Avoid Risky Alternatives It will focus on procedures that will assist in the decision making process, and hopefully be of use in the choosing of environmentally sound equipment, chemicals, and methodologies.

scholarly journals Bad Enough Ergonomics

SAGE Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 215824401668513 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virve Peteri
Keyword(s):  
Aesthetic Design ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Cultural Phenomenon ◽  
Everyday Practices ◽  
Office Furniture ◽  
The Empirical Analysis ◽  
A Company ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Office Chair

The article analyzes ergonomics as a social and cultural phenomenon, as something that is formulated and described by speakers in a specific social context; in a company that is specialized in producing ergonomic office furniture. Through a case study of an office chair, the article examines how ergonomics and its association with the vision of the potential users and their working spaces are constructed by the relevant actors in project meetings and individual interviews during the manufacturing process. The article is concerned with how, in the process of producing an office chair, the chair gains an identity of an aesthetic design object and how this comes to mean the reformulation of the idea of ergonomics. The empirical analysis also provides insight into how the somewhat grand discourses of soft capitalism or aesthetic economy are not abstract, but very much grounded in everyday practices of an organization. The article establishes how the vision shared by all the relevant actors invites active, flexible, and cooperative end-users and how the vision also has potential material effects. The research is an ethnographically inspired case study that draws ideas from discursive psychology.

Manipulation of the immune response in parasitic infections

Parasitology ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 88 (4) ◽  
pp. 665-675
Author(s):  
J.G. Howard
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Inbred Mouse ◽  
Lymphocyte Subset ◽  
Mouse Strains ◽  
Parasitic Infections ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Relevant Research ◽  
Fresh Insight ◽  
Insight Into

The following brief survey considers various manoeuvres which can be applied to manipulate the immune response to parasitic infectionsin vivo. The examples quoted largely concern malaria, babesiosis, schistosomiasis and leishmaniasis, predominantly in inbred mouse strains. Since my own relevant research experience has been restricted to leishmaniasis, this will receive undue emphasis, although it does illustrate particularly well points I wish to stress. The types of intervention described do not all provide the precision of interpretation with which they are sometimes credited. Thus, effects of immunosuppression or T-cell depletion alone can usually only implicate the specific immune response (in its broad sense) in shaping the natural history and outcome of an infection or in underlying the effect of prophylactic immunization. Nevertheless, more precise delineation of lymphocyte subset involvement can be obtained by cell replacement studies in some of these models or by exclusion of antibody. The outcomes of these approaches have been (or are) predictable in most cases. More fascinating, however, are the various instances which will be stressed where totally unpredicted and contrary observations have been made which led (or may lead) to fresh insight into the disease. These serendipitous findings illustrate at the same time the value of applying the manoeuvres, even though they imply that the logical immunologist cannot yet always outsmart the parasite by design.

scholarly journals Talent Value Creation during Digital Transformation: A Inductive Model of HR Reengineering

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsiu-Hua Hu ◽  
Yaozong Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Talent Development ◽  
Digital Transformation ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Key Features ◽  
The Impact ◽  
A Company ◽  
Insight Into

In this study, we are to explore (1) features of HR reengineering, (2) the impact of business digitalization strategies on digital transformation and HR engineering, (3) the impact of business digitalization strategies and HR reengineering on talent value creation, and present the results of a qualitative study that offers insight into 42 “thought units”, which were “categorizing” into four dimensions corresponding to our research questions: (1) plan, (2) do, (3) check, and (4) action. The “check” dimension corresponds to the four key features of HR reengineering related to business digitalization strategy, and how to create talent value when a company successfully implements business-led digital transformation, HR reengineering, and talent value creation, including (1) talent planning, (2) talent introduction, (3) talent adjustment, and (4) talent development.

The Conundrum of Valuing a Company`s Intellectual Capital

2010 ◽  
pp. 1848-1861
Author(s):  
Luiz Antonio Joia ◽  
Paulo Sérgio da Silva Sanz
Keyword(s):  
Field Study ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Intangible Assets ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Study Methodology ◽  
Relationship Capital ◽  
A Company ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Made In

Since the early 1990s, research has been conducted in an attempt to establish a viable and reliable manner of measuring the intangible assets, also referred to as the intellectual capital, of companies. Several models have been devised, most of them using indicators to evaluate the intangible assets of a given undertaking. In this chapter, exploratory field study methodology is used to analyse the behaviour of the “customer retention” indicator, which has been widely used to evaluate a company’s relationship capital. Two of the largest Brazilian e-retailing groups are analysed in order to obtain an in-depth insight into the behaviour of their frequent customers via their digital channel. Conclusions are presented, indicating that the role of frequent customers in e-retailing companies can sometimes be widely divergent from that presented in existing academic literature. Finally, recommendations are made in order to reach a clearer understanding of the conundrum of valuing a company’s intellectual capital via taken-for-granted indicators.

On Knowledge Management

2000 ◽  
pp. 170-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter H. Carstensen ◽  
Ulrika Snis
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Work Processes ◽  
Work Settings ◽  
Management Processes ◽  
Knowledge Intensive ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Intensive Work ◽  
Knowledge Management Processes

It is widely acknowledged that knowledge is one of the most important assets of today’s organizations. According to Davenport and Prusak (1998), knowledge is often a company’s greatest competitive advantage in a global economy. How to support the company’s knowledge-intensive work processes (e.g., quality support, product design or strategic planning) is therefore becoming a vital issue in many organizations worldwide. Identification, analysis and characterization of the knowledge-intensive work processes become essential in order to qualify a discussion of how to support knowledge management processes. This chapter presents, discusses and reflects upon findings from a study of how highly skilled actors manage information and knowledge, i.e., how information is gathered from a wide range of sources, structured according to needs and relevance for the users, and disseminated to the relevant suppliers in the organization. The aim of the chapter is two-folded: first, to contribute to the general empirical body of knowledge about knowledge-intensive work, especially focusing on the central characteristics of the knowledge management processes; secondly, to initiate a discussion of which overall requirements we must set up for how knowledge management processes could be supported by means of information and communication technology. Knowledge-intensive work processes often concern collaborative problem-solving and mutual support that require effective ways of handling information and knowledge between different people, both in short-term and long-term situations. The distributed and dynamic nature of knowledge management work also imposes a high degree of complexity involving many different actors with different conceptualizations, interpretations, perspectives, needs, etc. of the knowledge produced and approached. The various actors have different perspectives on the concept of knowledge. The work needed to articulate knowledge and make information and knowledge accessible becomes extremely demanding and complex. Often face-to-face interaction is required. However, in complex and collaborative work settings the problem of articulating knowledge by rich interaction and communication is obvious. The actors are distributed both geographically and temporally. There is a need for computer-based mechanisms for interaction and coordination of information and knowledge (cf. e.g., Carstensen and Wulf, 1998).

scholarly journals Application Search in Solution-Driven Biologically Inspired Design

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 269-278
Author(s):  
Torben Anker Lenau
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
The Self ◽  
Specific Production ◽  
Biologically Inspired ◽  
Technical Application ◽  
Coating Methods ◽  
Biologically Inspired Design ◽  
New Applications ◽  
A Company ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractIn solution-driven BID (sol-BID) a challenge is to identify suited applications that will benefit from the solutions principles found in nature. A well-known example of sol-BID is the self-cleaning lotus plant, that has inspired lotus paint and other coating methods. However, sol-BID is often performed by biologists with insight into the biological strategy and organism and typically only little knowledge of technical applications and design methodology. Searching for applications is therefore a challenge to many. Sol-BID has many things in common with technical application search where new applications are sought for a specific production technology or another competence characterizing a company. Experiences from technical application search could therefore form a valuable input for how to perform sol-BID. The paper presents two case studies of application search and proposes a procedure to be used in solution driven BID.

BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN UNIVERSITY AND INDUSTRY: THREE MECHANISMS FOR INNOVATION EFFICIENCY

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (01) ◽  
pp. 1440005 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHANNA WALLIN ◽  
OLA ISAKSSON ◽  
ANDREAS LARSSON ◽  
BENGT-OLOF ELFSTRÖM
Keyword(s):  
Close Collaboration ◽  
Contextual Understanding ◽  
Industry Collaboration ◽  
A Company ◽  
University Industry ◽  
Insight Into

A key challenge for competence networking is the difficulty of contextual understanding between people from different organizations. Despite close collaboration, full insight into a company is difficult, although desirable, for university partners to achieve and vice versa. The case study described in this paper is of a company with long experience of university–industry collaboration. The paper reports on a designerly approach to overcome barriers of university–industry collaboration. The approach is combined with strategic, tactic and operational dimensions. It builds on three corresponding mechanisms: a tool to facilitate strategic understanding, workshops to facilitate tactical co-creation, and prototyping to facilitate operational ideation.

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