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1 – 5 of 5Youness Eaidgah, Alireza Arab Maki, Kylie Kurczewski and Amir Abdekhodaee
The purpose of the paper is to study the interconnections between visual management, performance management and continuous improvement programmes and to suggest a practical…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to study the interconnections between visual management, performance management and continuous improvement programmes and to suggest a practical framework to establish an effective visual management programme in association with performance management and continuous improvement systems. For the sake of simplicity, this paper refers to such a programme as integrated visual management (IVM) throughout this paper.
Design/methodology/approach
The following research included proposals and discussion, which were based on a case study which took place at a quality assurance (QA) department in PACCAR Australia, a global premium truck manufacturer, as well as authors’ own findings and experience, in addition to a literature-based review on visual management, performance management and continuous improvement. A systematic approach was followed to establish an effective IVM system. This paper is composed of two sections. Some of the most important literatures on visual management, performance management and continuous improvement are reviewed in the first section. Then the findings, as well as some other author findings, on why visual management works are summarised. The second section is dedicated to the case study.
Findings
Visual management can provide a simple and yet effective solution to enhance information flow in organisations. However, for visual management to yield its full benefit, it needs be part of a bigger plan. It has to be linked to a performance management programme, which provides input into visual management, and a continuous improvement initiative, which receives inputs from visual management. This paper proposes a practical framework to establish an IVM programme and provides a detailed description of its phases. The paper also presents the results achieved, during our case study, and views on the integration benefits, as well as on how to successfully implement an IVM programme. A systematic approach to establish an effective IVM system was followed. It laid a solid foundation to facilitate an effective flow of information in QA in its respective areas. This programme not only improved an understanding of the processes and raised awareness about the performance and associated issues, it also boosted transparency, discipline, shared ownership, team involvement and scientific mindset. It assisted in achieving significant and concrete process improvements. It helped in establishing a productive continuous improvement programme. It was observed that while visual management, performance management and team or company continuous improvement programmes each served a benefit individually, when they were linked together, as a whole, their synergy allowed for more significant achievements.
Research limitations/implications
The scope of this research is limited to use of visual management to manage performance and to lead continuous improvement initiatives. The research was performed in a manufacturing environment. Even though it is believed that the suggested framework for IVM and the findings are applicable to other business environments as well, further research in this direction is required. Also, the interconnection between visual management, continuous improvement and performance management based on a case study was investigated. More quantitative researches, on bigger scales, are required to better understand the mentioned interactions and to enhance our knowledge of these tools in a holistic manner.
Originality/value
The originality of the papers comes from its holistic approach to visual management, performance management and continuous improvement programmes and the suggested framework to establish an IVM programme.
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Mustafa Hilal, Tayyab Maqsood and Amir Abdekhodaee
The purpose of this paper is to develop a hybrid conceptual model for building information modelling (BIM) adoption in facilities management (FM) through the integration of the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a hybrid conceptual model for building information modelling (BIM) adoption in facilities management (FM) through the integration of the technology task fit (TTF) and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) theories. The study also aims to identify the influence factors of BIM adoption and usage in FM and identify gaps in the existing literature and to provide a holistic picture of recent research in technology acceptance and adoption in the construction industry and FM sector.
Design/methodology/approach
The research methodology was to first review the literature to determine how users come to accept new technologies and what leads to adoption of BIM in the construction industry and in FM and to identify gaps as the starting point for developing a conceptual framework for greater adoption of BIM in FM. Using the results from the literature review, the conceptual framework for BIM adoption in FM has been formulated.
Findings
The resulting model of the current research is expected to improve our understanding of the acceptance and adoption of BIM by FM.
Research limitations/implications
The research hypotheses need to be tested for validation. Future works includes survey and experts’ interviews for model validation.
Originality/value
This paper fulfils an identified need to study how FM come to accept and adopt BIM through the integration of TTF and UTAUT.
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Youness Eaidgah, Amir Abdekhodaee, Manoochehr Najmi and Alireza Arab Maki
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the use of an integrated approach for performance improvement of virtual teams (VTs) in third-party logistics (3PL) through the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the use of an integrated approach for performance improvement of virtual teams (VTs) in third-party logistics (3PL) through the integration of performance management (PM), visual management (VM) and continuous improvement (CI) initiatives into one coherent system. The paper will also propose a methodological framework to establish such a system. The intended integrated system is called as integrated visual management (IVM) throughout this paper.
Design/methodology/approach
This research is based on a case study that took place in a 3PL context with 19 VTs of different sizes spread across Australia. Many major 3PL companies provide their services either internationally or nationwide and therefore use VTs on a regular basis. The selected company does the same. This case was picked as representative of the many complexities which VTs face in 3PL settings, e.g. geographical and temporal separations; different skill levels within the team and between different team bases; multi-teaming system; high staff turnover; recurring performance problems and firefighting approach to problem-solving; and highly demanding performance requirements from clients. Further, this case study, being of a newly established contract and team, enabled the observation of the team dynamic and complexities from the earliest stages. In addition, as the main author of the paper was part of the managerial layer of the studied VT, this provided it a unique opportunity to escape the usual bureaucracy and rather focus on the research. This study also includes a literature review on VTs along with PM, VM and CI, which comprises IVM.
Findings
It was found that an integrated approach to PM, VM and CI was effective in systematically improving the VT performance. The framework for implementing IVM was productive and enabled to successfully plan and deploy the improvement intentions. Even though the team was highly virtual and encompassed a range of situational challenges, including different skill levels, a multi-teaming system and a high staff turnover, nevertheless, through IVM, the results met and exceeded performance targets on a sustainable base. Inventory record accuracy, dispatch on time, delivery in full on time and dock to stock were improved by 45, 62, 22 and 25 per cent on average, respectively.
Originality/value
The originality of the paper comes from its methodological approach to performance improvement for VTs in 3PL contexts through integrating PM, VM and CI systems into one coherent system, IVM.
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Mustafa Hilal, Tayyab Maqsood and Amir Abdekhodaee
The purpose of this paper is to statistically classify and categorize Building Information Modelling (BIM)-Facility Management (FM) publications in order to extract useful…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to statistically classify and categorize Building Information Modelling (BIM)-Facility Management (FM) publications in order to extract useful information related to the adoption and use of BIM in FM.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employs a quantitative approach using science mapping techniques to examine BIM-FM publications using Web of Science (WOS) database for the period between 2000 and April 2018.
Findings
The findings guide the researchers who are interested in the BIM-FM model by providing visual maps analysis of that area in a simple, easy and readable way. In addition, they help the researchers to understand which authors and journals to consider when dealing with BIM-FM topics. Finally, knowledge gaps in this domain can be identified easily using the findings of the Scientometric analysis.
Research limitations/implications
First, the results of the analysis depend on the database that has been extracted from WOS, and therefore it carries any of WOS’s limitations in terms of how much it covers the published studies. Another limitation is that the study is based on exploration of “what” questions, rather than “how” and “why”. These limitations represent the hot topics to be addressed in future research.
Originality/value
This research is the first to conduct the Scientometric Analysis of BIM-FM topics, in which 68 top-ranked publications were systematically examined using a Science Mapping method through VOSviewer software.
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Raja Zuraidah Raja Mohd Rasi, Amir Abdekhodaee and Romesh Nagarajah
The purpose of this paper is to investigate key causal linkages of proactive environmental practices of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Specifically, this paper studies the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate key causal linkages of proactive environmental practices of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Specifically, this paper studies the ways that the interactions between different stakeholders such as suppliers and customers could intensify the widespread diffusion and implementation of green technologies. Understanding these linkages provide an opportunity to develop a framework that integrates stakeholders’ involvement, environmental practices and environmental/operational performances.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper adopts the quantitative methodology. It uses the survey data collected from 232 Malaysian SMEs. The structural equation modelling (SEM) via AMOS 19 was employed to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The empirical results suggest that decisions on environmental practices are influenced significantly by interactions between stakeholders but notably in different ways. While customers and employees involvements are targeted at process based changes, senior managers are interested in internal management improvements. Suppliers’ interactions, on the other hand, influence SMEs to improve on operations for product and process based changes at the same time. Interestingly, we did not observe any significant achievement on government partnership programmes aimed at improving SMEs’ environmental practices.
Originality/value
The finding in this paper adds to the literature on corporate environmental practices (CEPs), by applying two stages SEM analysis to a survey data for a single industry (electronic and electric industry). The gap of the mainstream CEP literature is bridged by focusing on different types of CEP, namely, internal management systems, process-based changes and product-based changes.
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