Search results

The purpose of this paper is to identify factors influencing implementation of control charts on key performance indicators (KPIs).

Factors driving organizational change described in literature are analyzed inspired by the affinity-interrelationship method. A holistic multiple-case design is used to conduct six workshops to affect the usage of control charts on KPIs at a global company in the automotive industry. The theoretical factors are compared with the result from the case study.

The important factors for implementation success differ to some extent between the theoretical and empirical studies. High-level commitment and a clear definition of the goal of change could be most important when creating a motivation for change. Thereafter, having a dedicated change agent, choosing an important KPI and being able to describe the gain in financial terms becomes more important.

By using control charts on KPIs, the organization in the case study has become more proactive, addressing the right issues upstream in the process, in the right way, cross-functionally.

Factors affecting the implementation of already available solutions in the industry are highlighted. This potentially provides a basis for improved decision making, which has a significant value.

This research aims to identify and organise the conditions of organisational readiness for digital transformation.

This qualitative study comprises three case studies within manufacturing companies from different sizes and industries located in Sweden. Plant visits and in-depth interviews bring to light companies' experiences with initial steps towards digital transformation. A set of conditions for digital organisational readiness was translated into a questionnaire and tested with one of the studied companies.

This paper organises and tests digital organisational readiness conditions to support companies' initial steps on digital transformation. The results are put in perspective of established change management theory and previous studies about digital transformation. The findings will conclude in a questionnaire to support dialogue and digital organisational readiness assessments.

Additional conditions for the initial phase of digital transformation could possibly be found if more cases had been included in the study.

The article identifies a set of conditions translated into a questionnaire that should be used as a dialogue tool to create strategic alignment and support companies in their initial discussions. If this process can be faster and more efficient, the company can achieve a competitive advantage against competitors.

This research's relevance relies on the fact that companies are advancing in adopting digital technologies without being ready from an organisational perspective. This gap creates barriers for companies' digital maturing processes, stopping them from having full access to digital technologies' benefits.

This paper aims to present recently published resources on information literacy and library instruction through an extensive annotated bibliography of publications covering all library types.

This paper annotates English-language periodical articles, monographs, dissertations and other materials on library instruction and information literacy published in 2017 in over 200 journals, magazines, books and other sources.

The paper provides a brief description for all 590 sources.

The information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.

The purpose of this paper is to identify strengths and weaknesses in the communication of performance measures and propose guidelines for the visualization of performance measures supporting continuous improvement (CI) in manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The goal is to help manufacturing SMEs improve their communication of performance measures, thereby improving performance, and strengthening the company.

This paper draws on both theoretical and empirical research. It begins with a literature review of theoretical guidelines for the visualization of performance measures. This theoretical information is then supplemented with a case study and a survey, both carried out at the Vara plant, a manufacturing SME with well-developed communication of performance measures. The case study involved all organizational levels in the company and focused on identifying strengths and weaknesses in visual communication of performance measures supporting CI. The information acquired from the literature survey and the case study was then used as the basis for a survey of the employees in one department as regards their perception, understanding and opinion of visual communication of performance measures. The analysis of the results led to the development of guidelines and a substantive proposal improving visualization of performance measures in this specific company, and in manufacturing SMEs in general.

A model for the visualization of performance measures supporting CI in the company was carried out. The guidelines proposed for all such visualizations are as follows: keep the visualization as simple as possible without compromising understanding, use symbols and colors consistently, use simple words and do not include too much information in the visualization. The study also shows that it is important to support a written visualization with an oral presentation to explain the results.

The originality of this paper lies in its focus on the visualization of performance measures in manufacturing SMEs and the guidelines and proposals developed.

The research purpose is to analyse when and how innovation support programmes (ISPs) can affect collaboration between universities and established small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). The paper specifically considers SME’s absorptive capacity.

A Swedish research centre is studied in the context of innovation support and two of its SME-ISPs are examined with regards to industry–university collaboration and impact on firm innovation capabilities. Data collection and analysis are performed, using interviews, survey answers, document search and reflectional analysis to evaluate processes and effects of the centre and the programmes.

A developed research centre, integrated into both academia and industry, can support translational collaboration and promote SME innovation absorptive capacity. The action learning elements and the organisational development approaches used when coaching in the ISPs contribute to the SMEs internal absorption capacity and collaborational skills. Organising collaboration into ISPs can provide a relational path to future collaboration with universities, which, for example start with student projects.

The study, though limited to one Swedish region, adds to empirical innovation research as it connects industry–university collaboration and absorptive capacity to organisational learning.

The empirical results indicate possible long-term gains for industry and universities in building collaborative innovation into SME-ISPs.

The contribution of this study pertains to the practice of innovation support for established SMEs with the inclusion of absorption capacity and collaborative innovation development.