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.

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.

Critical success factors for Lean implementation in IT outsourcing relationships

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 715-730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent Blijleven ◽  
Yiwei Gong ◽  
Afshin Mehrsai ◽  
Kitty Koelemeijer
Keyword(s):  
Critical Success Factors ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
It Outsourcing ◽  
Future Research ◽  
It Services ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Lean Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Critical Success ◽  
Manufacturing Environments

PurposeFollowing positive results of Lean implementation in manufacturing environments, Lean has become an emerging philosophy for clients and suppliers of information technology (IT) services. However, how to implement Lean in IT outsourcing relationships has been addressed sparsely in academic literature. The purpose of this paper is to investigate critical success factors (CSFs) for implementing Lean in IT outsourcing relationships. Key findings, implications and avenues for future research are discussed.Design/methodology/approachSix IT outsourcing relationships were qualitatively investigated by means of 36 semi-structured interviews. CSFs were identified based on interview transcription analyses, selection techniques and expert reviews.FindingsIn total, 16 CSFs for Lean implementation in IT outsourcing relationships are identified and described.Practical implicationsThe CSFs presented in this paper indicate key areas that deserve managerial attention to steer Lean implementation efforts in IT outsourcing relationships in a favorable direction.Originality/valueThis study is the first to describe the phenomenon of “Lean IT outsourcing” and provides researchers and practitioners with a foundation to further examine Lean implementation in IT outsourcing relationships.

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.

scholarly journals Critical success factors for facility management employer’s information requirements (EIR) for BIM

Facilities ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 103-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Ashworth ◽  
Matthew Tucker ◽  
Carsten K. Druhmann
Keyword(s):  
Information Needs ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Facility Management ◽  
Guidance Document ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Information Requirements ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Right

PurposeThis paper aims to describe the development and testing of an employer’s information requirements (EIR) template and guidance document designed to meet client and facility management (FM) needs in the building information modelling (BIM) process.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative design approach was used and triangulation of methods which included a focus group with the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM), semi-structured interviews with the case study Glasgow Life Burrell Renaissance Project who trialled the EIR and peer-reviews and interviews with BIM/CAFM experts from the BIM Academy and FM180.FindingsSpecific guidance to help clients and facility managers prepare key BIM documents like the EIR are needed. They are aware of industry BIM standards and guidance but often not in detail. The Glasgow Life case study illustrated the EIR as a useful collaboration-tool to bring together stakeholders in early planning stages to understand client information needs.Social implicationsAssets and buildings account for most of the energy and material use in society. A well-structured EIR will help ensure the right information is available to enable optimisation of running costs and utility-use over their whole life, thus contributing to long-term sustainability.Originality/valueThis paper provides a new EIR template and guidance document ideal for practitioners in industry as a practical starting point to plan the client information requirements for BIM projects. It can be downloaded atwww.bifm.org.uk/bifm/knowledge.

Employee suggestion scheme sustainability excellence model and linking organizational learning

2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 425-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Flevy Lasrado ◽  
M. Arif ◽  
Aftab Rizvi
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Critical Success Factors ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Assessment Framework ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Critical Success

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a sustainability assessment model and to discuss the implications for organizational learning. Paper presents a sustainability excellence model comprising of three stages and discuss the good practices for sustaining the employee suggestion scheme. 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 through a case of an organization based in the United Arab Emirates. 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 the initial stage, the developmental stage and the advanced stage. The key practices associated for each of these stages are discussed in detail. Practical implications – The framework has taken into consideration the critical success factors and critical success factors emerged from the literature review conducted for this study. Therefore, the framework 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.

scholarly journals Critical success factors for eLearning in Saudi Arabian universities

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Alhabeeb ◽  
Jennifer Rowley
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Design ◽  
Critical Success Factors ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Learning Technologies ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Senior Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Content Quality ◽  
Critical Success ◽  
Instructor Characteristics

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to offer insights into the development of eLearning systems and the perceptions of key players in the management of eLearning systems in three large universities in Saudi Arabia. It establishes the relative importance of different factors and compares these findings with studies conducted elsewhere in the world. Design/methodology/approach Desk research was conducted to gather a profile of the eLearning initiatives in the participating universities. Structured interviews were conducted with senior managers with responsibility for implementing and promoting eLearning in their universities. The interview protocol prompted discussion of the importance of the following sets of factors in the success and acceptance of eLearning: student characteristics, instructor characteristics, learning environment, instructional design, and support. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Findings Supported by the Saudi Government, the three universities in this study have been developing their eLearning services. The two most important groups of critical success factors in this process were regarded as those related to student and instructor characteristics. Further analysis within each group of factors suggested that participants regarded instructor knowledge with learning technologies and student knowledge of computer systems, and technical infrastructure as important facilitators of success. Amongst instructional design factors, clarity of learning objectives and content quality were regarded as important. Insights are offered as to the reasons for these selections. Originality/value This study furthers earlier research on eLearning managers’ views and contributes to understanding of eLearning and its management in the Middle East.

Critical success factors for post-disaster infrastructure recovery

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 685-700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miao Liu ◽  
Eric Scheepbouwer ◽  
Sonia Giovinazzi
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Disaster Recovery ◽  
Critical Success Factors ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Critical Success ◽  
Post Disaster

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to synthesise critical success factors (CSFs) for advancing post-disaster infrastructure recovery and underpinning recovery authorities in decision making when facing future disasters. Design/methodology/approach The seismic recovery after the Canterbury (NZ) earthquake sequence in 2010-2011 was selected as a case study for identifying CSFs for an efficient recovery of infrastructure post-disaster. A combination of research approaches, including archival study, observations and semi-structured interviews were conducted for collecting data and evidences by engaging with participants involved at various tiers in the post-disaster recovery and reconstruction. The CSFs are evaluated and analysed by tracking the decision-making process, examining resultant consequences and foreseeing onwards challenges. Findings Six salient CSFs for strengthening infrastructure recovery management after disasters are identified. Furthermore, the study shows how each of these CSFs have been incorporated into the decision-making process in support of the post-disaster recovery and what difficulties encountered in the recovery process when implementing. Practical implications The proposed CSFs provide a future reference and guidance to be drawn on by decision makers when project-managing post-disaster recovery operations. Originality/value The value of the paper is that it bridges the gap between managerial contexts and technical aspects of post-disaster recovery process in an effort to rapidly and efficiently rebuild municipal infrastructure.

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