Implementing standardised flow: navigating operational and professional dependencies

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 1177-1199
Author(s):  
Marianna Frangeskou ◽  
Michael A. Lewis ◽  
Christos Vasilakis
Keyword(s):  
Operations Management ◽  
Resource Sharing ◽  
Care Pathway ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Healthcare Setting ◽  
Longitudinal Case Study ◽  
Acute Stroke Care ◽  
Specific Flow ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe purpose of this study had two aims: (1) to extend insight regarding the challenges of implementing standardised work, via care pathways, in a healthcare setting by considering interactions with other operational (i.e. resource sharing, portfolio alignment) and professional (i.e. autonomous expertise) dependencies and (2) to develop novel insights regarding a specific flow mechanism, the stroke nurse practitioner, a form of flow “pilo” or guide.Design/methodology/approachThis was a longitudinal case study of implementing the acute stroke care pathway in a National Health Service hospital in England based on 185 hours of non-participant observations and 68 semi-structured interviews. Archival documents were also analysed.FindingsThe combined flow, operational and professional dependency lens extends operations management understanding of the challenge of implementing standardised work in healthcare. One observed practice, the process pilot role, may be particularly valuable in dealing with these dependencies but it requires specific design and continuous support, for which the authors provide some initial guidance.Research limitations/implicationsThe research was a single case study and was focussed on a single care pathway. The findings require replication and extension but offer a novel set of insights into the implications of standardised work in healthcare.Originality/valueIn addition to confirming that a multidependency lens adds conceptual and practical insight to the challenges of implementing standardised work in a healthcare setting, the findings and recommendations regarding flow “pilots” are novel. The authors' analysis of this role reveals new insights regarding the need for continued improvisation in standardised work.

Rooting a new event in its place: the case of Festa Templária, Tomar, Portugal

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 324-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hermínia Sol ◽  
Marisa P. de Brito ◽  
João Pinto Coelho ◽  
Luís Mota Figueira ◽  
Christopher Pratt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Longitudinal Case Study ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Creation ◽  
The City ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose With fierce competition in capturing tourists, it is crucial that destinations be prepared to adapt and to refresh their event portfolio. The purpose of this paper is to look into the decision-making process that led to the development of a new festival in a middle-sized city, Tomar, in Portugal. Design/methodology/approach This study analyses the creation process of the Knights Templar Festival, in Tomar, a new event focusing on the Templar history of the city. A retrospective outlook on the evolution of the event is given. Primary data were collected via quantitative survey analysis and semi-structured interviews. The theoretical scope is events and placemaking. Findings The strengths and weaknesses of the region influenced the conception and setting up of this particular event. This awareness is important for cities in meeting the challenges and opportunities that event portfolio diversification calls for. Research limitations/implications This paper helps us to understand the motives and challenges in establishing a new event in the city, through the analysis of a single case study of a European middle-sized city. Simultaneously, it is a longitudinal in-depth case of the first editions of a new historically focused event. Practical implications Several practical implications can be derived to the case of Tomar. Overall, it is key that cities align the focus of new events with the city’s identity (as Tomar did). Originality/value This paper presents an in-depth and longitudinal case study, from the moment of the creation of a new event to its fourth edition, mapping the decision-making process, highlighting the learning curve of the decision makers.

How capabilities evolve in a born global firm?

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 223-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nishant Kumar ◽  
Ali Yakhlef
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Capabilities ◽  
Service Industry ◽  
Single Case ◽  
New Ventures ◽  
Born Global ◽  
Longitudinal Case Study ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Intensive ◽  
Born Global Firms

Purpose – The aim of this paper to examine the mechanism through which the capabilities related to internationalisation emerge and are acquired as firms internationalise. Design/methodology/approach – This study draws on existing literature on born global firms and dynamic capabilities to develop a tentative framework and then use that to examine a longitudinal case study of an Indian firm operating within knowledge-intensive services industry. The role played by these capabilities in the survival and sustained international growth of born global firms has been probed. Findings – The study establishes a link between firm’s ability to develop such capabilities for global service delivery and its growth and survival. It is suggested that dynamic capabilities emerge as the result of a mix of experiential and deliberate learning processes, being in a constant change in rhythm with changes in domestic and in international business environments. Research limitations/implications – This study is based on a single case study from knowledge-intensive service industry in India with its own particular characteristics. Thus, the findings of this study may not be generalised across other emerging markets or industry. Practical implications – Entrepreneurs and managers of new ventures can benefit from this study, as this study helps them develop a deeper understanding of the different capability requirements for successful internationalisation. Originality/value – This study contributed to the existing literature on capability evolution in born global firms.

Linking QFD and the manufacturing network strategy

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 226-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maike Scherrer ◽  
Patricia Deflorin
Keyword(s):  
Operations Management ◽  
Quality Function Deployment ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Single Case Study ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Manufacturing Networks ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
Manufacturing Network

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to integrate the manufacturing site and network perspectives for the purposes of strategy fulfilment, which has rarely been jointly discussed. By doing this, the site and network perspectives are broken into their constituents and linked to one another. Design/methodology/approach The paper provides qualitative research; it conducts a comprehensive literature review and merges the results with the concept of the quality function deployment to link the relevant dimensions. The developed framework is discussed based on a single case study. Findings The proposed framework relates the network and site perspectives in different dimensions, which range from the strategic dimension to the network and site dimensions. The paper, furthermore, offers the groundwork of developing relationship maps of the site and network capabilities, network configuration and coordination, and the structural and infrastructural dimensions. Research limitations/implications The paper contains a single case study and lacks foundation with a broader data set. Practical implications The results support the decision-making process of the manufacturing network managers who assess, design, and develop their manufacturing networks and attempt to gain transparency by using different levels of analysis. Originality/value The paper is the first attempt to show how the different network and site capabilities contribute to strategy fulfilment, to link the configuration and coordination dimensions of the manufacturing network level, and to link the structural and infrastructural dimensions on the site level. Thus, the authors add to multilevel research in operations management because the authors provide a combined framework for the network- and site-level analysis.

Business networks along innovation life cycle

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 329-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Paola Codini
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Business Networks ◽  
Longitudinal Case Study ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multiple Data ◽  
Multiple Method ◽  
Technology Life Cycle

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate how the relationships among the different actors within the business networks affect the evolution of innovation along the different steps of technology life cycle. Design/methodology/approach – The study is supported by a longitudinal case study referred to a mechanical company operating in the knitting machineries industry. A triangulation method integrating multiple data sources in a multiple method design was used to gather data. Findings – The longitudinal study supports the idea that interactions among the actors within the business networks heavily influence the technology evolution. Research limitations/implications – Although the longitudinal case study reported in this paper refers to a period of time of about 10 years, our findings refer only to a single case study in a specific sector and so they cannot be generalized. Practical implications – This paper provides important guidelines on how to manage the relationships emerging within a business network to influence the new technologies development. Originality/value – The paper contributes to business networks literature, filling the gaps about how the relationships among the actors involved in a network can evolve over time and influence the evolution of technology in itself.

Ethics disclosure as strategy: a longitudinal case study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sriyalatha Kumarasinghe ◽  
Indujeeva Keerthilal Peiris ◽  
André M. Everett
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Business Strategies ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Single Case Study ◽  
Longitudinal Case Study ◽  
Ethical Business ◽  
Content Type

Purpose This study investigates how a globally-oriented, developing country enterprise formulates and implements ethics strategies, policies and behaviours with respect to its stakeholders, and how the case company discloses and utilises its ethics strategies, policies and behaviours to gain competitive advantage and create stakeholder value. Design/methodology/approach A longitudinal single case study is presented featuring a tea producer and marketer in Sri Lanka, one of the country’s largest exporters, that is targeting a global consumer market. Applying Spiller’s (2000) framework for ethical business practices, this research analyses data collected in a series of interviews in combination with content analysis of company annual reports and sustainability reports covering 2010 to 2019 supplemented by on-site observation. Findings Analysis reveals that the company maintains ethical strategies, policies and behaviours with respect to its prominent stakeholders, and strategically discloses those practices. The firm’s proactive disclosures of its business and sustainability ethics practices enabled it to establish and sustain competitive advantage over its competitors. The findings are discussed in light of their theoretical and practical implications, identifying areas for future studies. Originality/value This is the first ethics study to include both longitudinal documentary analysis and personal interviews in a single case study based in Sri Lanka. It contributes to discussion regarding balancing ethics and sustainability as parts of business strategies for reputation building and value creation through identifying salient stakeholders and ethics-based non-financial disclosures by contemporary business organisations.

scholarly journals Interdependency in coordinating networked maintenance and modification operations

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Per Engelseth ◽  
Jan-Åke Törnroos ◽  
Yufeng Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Network Structure ◽  
Operations Management ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Continuous Change ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Norwegian Sea ◽  
Exchange Processes ◽  
Service Production ◽  
Engineering Services

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to detect, through applying a process-based view, how to manage economisation of the maintenance and modification operations in offshore petroleum logistics operations.Design/methodology/approachA single case study of engineering services, more specifically, maintenance and modification service operations, on a Norwegian Sea oil platform reveals the dynamics of building network capabilities in a consistent network structure. Two layers of coordination are studied: the engineering process and its context, represented by its network of interconnected firms. This case study empirically grounds how engineering service involves managing reciprocally interdependent exchange processes in the network structure.FindingsPooled interdependencies are vital in understanding the nature of service provision and use, and sequential interdependencies are vital in narrating the timing of processes to reveal the nature of process emergence to coordinate strings of production events. Furthermore, the network structure, when characterised by multiple interdependent projects, is also dynamic but at a slower pace.Originality/valueThrough the case study, operations management is revealed to be associated with project emergence at two levels: the core process level regarding daily continuous change, including the changing interaction of multiple different and interdependent projects, and the contextual level, where features of interdependency and integration change, affecting engineering service production. This provides guidance as to the economisation of engineering services. They change not only interactions in the flow of production but also its context.

The S&OP process and the influence of personality and key behavioral indicators: insights from a longitudinal case study

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Stentoft ◽  
Per Vagn Freytag ◽  
Ole Stegmann Mikkelsen
Keyword(s):  
Type Theory ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Personality Type ◽  
Process Efficiency ◽  
Longitudinal Case Study ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Behavioral Indicators ◽  
Common Framework

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to extend the research domain of Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) beyond the hard issues by focusing on soft issues in S&OP processes. This paper aims to investigate how consciousness of different personality types can affect S&OP processes.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on a single longitudinal case study from a medium-sized enterprise with a data collection period of more than two years. This paper is based on observation and interviews gathered at several stages during pilot implementation and operation phases.FindingsThis paper indicates that a focus on behavior using personality type theory and key behavioral indicators has provided a common framework for understanding how the S&OP process is impacted by different personalities and behavior. This knowledge has increased the awareness of which behavior sustains a silo mentality and which behavior breaks it down. Quotations are used to provide substance of this explorative topic.Research limitations/implicationsAs a single case study, this paper only provides results for analytical generalization.Practical implicationsConsciousness of behavioral elements in S&OP processes is proposed here as a complement to key performance indicators as levers to implement and obtain sustained operation of S&OP.Originality/valueThis paper is the first explicitly integrating personality type theory for a better understanding of implementing and operating S&OP processes. This paper contributes with a new understanding of S&OP success factors and how a common language may improve process efficiency.

scholarly journals Reinterpreting Fisher’s coordinated strategies: a longitudinal case study

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 1166-1187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roy Stratton
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Operations Management ◽  
Causal Reasoning ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Longitudinal Case Study ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Trade Offs

Purpose Much has been written about the need to align the supply chain with the product/market but it has proved, elusive especially in response to a supply change transitions. The purpose of this paper is to review the established theoretical models before considering how the realignment process can be better supported in the light of a longitudinal study. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses a single apparel case where data were gathered over a five-year period involving multiple site visits, management interviews and archival data across three echelons of the supply chain. Repeated visits enabled the collection of contemporary evidence and the development and testing of the causal relationships. This case was part of a multi-case research project that explored the causal relationship between variation, uncertainty, performance trade-offs and buffering mechanisms (time, capacity and inventory). Findings The case analysis demonstrates how established theory and causal reasoning can be used to explain the trade-off oscillations that characterised this case. As with earlier studies, local cost considerations predominated, interspersed with strategic countermeasures. Fisher’s (1997) concept of coordinated strategies is shown to provide an effective means of clarifying the trade-off implications of the transition in support of proactive realignment. This concept is discussed in relation to other cases and literature before proposing how this could be developed and used as a basis for further research. Research limitations/implications This research was limited to a single case and although this involving several transitions the findings require further testing. Practical implications Supply chain redesign is of growing importance and with it the need to more effectively manage such transitions. This paper clarifies the need for supply chain orientation and offers means of clarifying the implications of such transitions to management. Originality/value This paper provides case evidence of the underlying operations management issues and the associated analysis.

Drivers of organizational reorientations in planned economies

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 551-579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuaijiao Bai ◽  
Henrique Duarte ◽  
Dong Guo
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Punctuated Equilibrium Theory ◽  
Longitudinal Case Study ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Long Period ◽  
The Military ◽  
Market Pressures ◽  
Critical Questioning

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to convey how the transition to market-based orientations by state-owned enterprises (SOEs), particularly the military sector, represents a coevolutionary process between business and regulatory institutions that has an impact on both the military and civilian markets. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conducted a longitudinal case study of a military SOE, the Aosheng Group, between 1951 and 2012 to understand the dynamics between institutions and organizations. A comparative analysis between the main stages of evolution was completed, and conclusions about the main patterns of organizational and institutional change were reached. Findings – The study reports evidence on the coevolutionary nature of change in big SOEs in China, demonstrating how institutional changes are bigger drivers in promoting reorientations than are market pressures. Within the framework of punctuated equilibrium theory, the determining role that managers may play in leading and implementing organizational reorientations is emphasized. Research limitations/implications – A triangulated methodology was employed to analyse a long period; however, its application to just a single case might be questioned in terms of generalizing any of the findings. Originality/value – The longitudinal perspective applied in this case study contributes to critical questioning as to how Chinese agencies define forms of control and the goals for SOEs under their jurisdiction and the importance of allowing managerial discretion to the assigned managers.

Investigating the link between intellectual capital and open innovation processes: a longitudinal case study

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Matricano ◽  
Elena Candelo ◽  
Mario Sorrentino ◽  
Giuseppe Cappiello
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Open Innovation ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Subsequent Development ◽  
Single Case Study ◽  
Longitudinal Case Study ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Structural Capital ◽  
Global Company

PurposeThis paper investigates the link between Intellectual Capital (IC) and Open Innovation (OI). Scholars worldwide consider the topics as standing alone and so they give scarce attention to the possible link between them. Managerial experiences (and few theoretical contributions), instead, hypothesize a significant role that IC can play over OI processes in order make them successful.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology of a single case study is used to investigate the link between IC and OI. In particular, an OI process managed by a global company, LEGO, and named Mindstorms is rebuilt and analysed herein.FindingsIntermediate results achieved by LEGO through its OI process were unsuccessful since the company had not developed its own IC (made up of relational, human and structural capital). The subsequent development of IC, instead, has driven to successful results. This suggests that if companies do not develop their IC before launching OI processes, then these processes might be not successful.Research limitations/implicationsOne limitation is the use of a single case study. Despite this, the present article is a warning for all the companies: before launching OI processes they need to develop their IC.Originality/valueTo the best knowledge of the authors, this is one of the first works that deepens the investigation of the link between IC and OI. Very often, scholars investigating IC shyly refer to OI, without mentioning it, while the scholars investigating OI allude to IC, without citing it. In this study, IC and OI are investigated together.

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