Kaizen implementation and other continuous improvement practices can be used by companies to lower manufacturing costs and increase product value. Kaizen activities are one way that wood products companies can increase their competitiveness. Being able to measure the effectiveness of Kaizen events is important to factors that contribute to Kaizen effectiveness as well as identifying the success of Kaizen implementation. However, little research has focused on the implementation of Kaizen and other continuous improvement methods within the wood products industry or on the perceptions of employees within this industry regarding either the motivators for, barriers to, and effectiveness of perceptions of Kaizen, or the drivers affecting Kaizen implementation. The goal of this research is to develop a tool to measure the effectiveness of Kaizen and to apply this tool to companies within the wood products industry. To accomplish this research goal, a case study approach was used in examining how two U.S. wood products companies implemented Kaizen and other continuous improvement initiatives and how employees at these companies viewed such implementation. As part of this case study, interviews were conducted with staff in each company and surveys were administered to production and non-production employees at each company. A tool was developed to measure the perceived effectiveness of Kaizen events, and this tool was tested using the survey data were collected from each company. The results from these analyses show statistically significant differences in how production employees across companies viewed the following: motivators related to cost and quality outcomes, as well as the success of other companies, as motivators for Kaizen; and barriers related to middle management, time, money, technology, and poor past experiences. Poor past experience with Kaizen were also viewed significantly differently by production and non-production employees in one of the companies studied. The results also show that perceptions of productivity improvements were the most significant predictor of the perceived effectiveness of Kaizen implementation. These results and the development of a tool to measure Kaizen will help guide and improve future Kaizen and other continuous improvement efforts within the wood products industry and provide insights for future research. / Master of Science

No / ‘Lean’ is an operations management initiative that has received significant attention from both practitioners and scholars within service environments (Panchak 2003, de Souza 2009, Mazzocato et al. 2010, Burgess and Radnor 2012, Vegting et al. 2012, Toussaint and Berry 2013, Bhat and Jnanesh 2014). The application of Lean processes is alluring for healthcare managers globally because of the promise of combining cost reductions with outstanding standards of health service to patients.

No / Purpose. The purpose of this paper is to explore the results of implementing the Kaizen approach in a caravan repairing project near the Jordanian–Syrian border in the Zaatari camp. Design/methodology/approach. The study is based on the exploratory qualitative research approach. The data were collected through interviews and on-site observation with employees who were involved with the caravan maintenance project and have adequate knowledge and information about this project. In this process, a fishbone diagram, a quality control tool, is used to recognize and explain a causal-effect relationship under the selected Kaizen theme. Findings. The findings suggest that the Kaizen approach was economical in terms of both money and time. Also, waste elimination can be achieved through a variety of tools and easily combined with the Kaizen approach. Implementing the Kaizen approach is an effective and reliable system that allows for the tackling of all types of inefficiencies in the caravan repairing project. Research limitations/implications. The findings of this study will help policy makers and managers put together suitable and effective policies that will assist those firms in overcoming the demands of customers and competitors to deliver high quality, inexpensive products in less time through the application of the Kaizen approach. This, in turn, will lead to improved quality, efficiency and productivity in the most cost-effective way. However, these results should not be generalized since they are only confined to the context of caravan repairing project. Originality/value. Very little research has been done that takes into account the contexts of developing countries. Additionally, most literature presents the use of Kaizen applications only in the manufacturing or production sectors. This study is the first to implement Kaizen as a continuous improvement technique in a caravan repairing project – a job shop industry different from the repetitive batch work environment that is usually associated with implementation of Kaizen. The current research should be of great interest to researchers, managers and professionals who wish to apply Kaizen approach as it is sustainable over time in similar projects.

Lean production härstammar från företaget Toyota och Taiichi Ohno’s begrepp ToyotaProduction System. Metoden är idag ett dominerande styrmedel bland organisationer. Därmedhar konceptet implementerats i allt fler västerländska resultatstyrda organisationer, varsparametrar för kontroll skiljer sig mot de lean production utgår från. Dess innebörd sträckersig över stora delar av en organisation, vilket bidrar till begreppets komplexitet. Leanproduction förväntas ge upphov till continuous improvement samt elimination of waste.Utifrån detta har forskare formulerat 14 principer vilka sammanfattas i The Toyota Waymodel. För att erbjuda fler perspektiv till insamlad empiri har the Toyota Way model använtssom ett ramverk tillsammans med tre olika kategorier för kontroll: effekt- beteende- samtsocial styrning. Denna studie syftar dels till att identifiera formen av continuous improvementi företaget Ardaghs organisation, samt relationen mellan traditionella styrmedel och leanproduction.Studien tillämpar ett pragmatiskt förhållningssätt, med målet att insamlad empiri ska förklaraden teoretiska referensramen. Empirin samlades in genom observationer, samtal ochdokumentation från tre olika delar av Ardaghs verksamhet: administrationen, styrningen ochproduktionen. Den empirika datan samlades in med continuous improvement och internakontrollprocesser i åtanke.Studiens resultat indikerade att det i Ardaghs verksamhet förekom olika former av continuousimprovement och konflikter mellan kontrollprocesser. Formerna sammanfattas i studiensresultat genom två olika aspekter: den filosofiska och den instrumentella. Den filosofiskaaspektens utgångspunkt återfinns främst i lean productions grundförutsättningar, såsomlångsiktiga visioner, empowerment och strategier för att uppnå effektiviseringsvinster. Deninstrumentella aspekten kretsar främst kring hur lean-verktyg påverkar en organisationssjälvbild, samt hur traditionell budgetstyrning tenderar att hamna i konflikt med leanproductions metoder för kontroll. / Program: Civilekonomprogrammet

Working Lean, i.e. “eliminating non-value activities from work processes by applying a robust set of performance change tools and emphasizing excellence in operations to deliver superior customer service,” has received significant attention and become a concept of interest for businesses, especially during recent years. Fundamentally, the concept of Lean is built on the aims of waste reduction and value creation with keywords such as continuous improvement, quality, and efficiency guiding the process. Lean was originally developed with production in mind, but many in the field argue that its applicability reaches further and holds potential within other contexts, such as service, as well. The purpose of this study is to derive lessons learned from individuals working in the service sector regarding whether or not Lean is applicable in the context of service and to explore what factors and challenges are perceived to influence the likeliness of success. An abductive approach has been pursued by the use of semistructured interviews with employees from different levels within organizations in the Swedish service sector. In addition, an external perspective by interviewing a Lean consultant has been of interest. The data gained has been analysed to identify patterns which have then been searched for in existing literature. The findings provide evidence that Lean is applicable in service. Furthermore, success factors related to the following core categories; employee engagement and competence, having a philosophical approach, leadership, management, implementation, organizational and national culture, and management of variation were identified. Lastly, a misconception of Lean, employee resistance and suboptimization were three challenges found.

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Many organisations are perusing a process improvement programme in order to gain competitive advantage through improved product and service quality, operational efficiencies and customer experience. Whilst Six Sigma adopts a project-oriented, expert-led approach to improving processes, Total Quality Management (TQM), Lean and Operational Excellence (OE) programmes typically promote a culture of Continuous Improvement (CI) where lower-level employees are encouraged and empowered to evaluate and optimise their own working practices and processes. In order to make CI successful and sustainable in an organisation, employees need to have a positive attitude towards CI. Whilst previous research had already established the relationship between CI, Organisational Learning (OL) and company performance, this research set out to establish if any of the five disciplines of the Senge (1994) Learning Organisation (LO) influenced on an employee’s (positive) attitude towards CI. In keeping with the Dimensions of the Learning Organisation Questionnaire (DLOQ), the five disciplines of the LO were structured within individual, team and organisational factors. Through a structured survey and statistical correlation analysis, this research has shown that, whilst the team and organisational factors did not influence on an employee’s attitude to CI, personal mastery does have an influence on an employee’s attitude towards CI. It is therefore recommended that an organisation that wishes to create a culture of CI also actively works to improve the personal mastery of those employees who are expected to be involved in CI.

This project was carried out in order to complete the requirements of the Master of Engineering Management degree at the University of Canterbury. The project objective was to examine the reasons for Attainment to Plan (ATP) misses at the Meadow Fresh Christchurch plant, specifically the Fresh Beverages division. ATP is a measure of how closely the production team follows the daily packing plan, and is a site Key Performance Indicator (KPI). This report describes the action plans that were developed to decrease the number of misses to the target value, an analysis of the success of these plans, and recommendations which were made around the purchase of plant equipment in order to further improve the ATP results.

Individuals and organizations must continuously improve to succeed in today’s competitive economic climate, yet a major dilemma in tough economic conditions is that the resources needed to support such proactive improvement behaviors are limited. Existing theories on organizational resources, stressors, and continuous improvement are relevant yet insufficient for answering the important question of how individuals remain motivated to pursue continuous improvement activities despite minimal organizational resources to support them. Therefore, the goal of this dissertation was to build and test theory on this phenomenon. Inspired by full-cycle research, I began this program of research with a phenomenological study of employees in a manufacturing environment to better understand their appraisals regarding continuous improvement under resource-constrained conditions. The results highlighted the ways in which employees interpret constraints as either a threat or a challenge, and how positive psychological capital (PsyCap) guides these interpretations and subsequent continuous improvement. Informed by this rich data, I proposed a synthesized theoretical model which was tested in two separate contexts. First, I conducted a time-lagged survey study in another resource-constrained environment that demands continuous improvement, namely entrepreneurs launching a new business. To exert more control and to enhance the generalizability of this research, I then conducted an online experiment with participants from various industries and backgrounds. The results of these studies largely supported the theoretical model, documenting in particular the importance of individuals’ challenge appraisals for their ensuing continuous improvement behaviors. The benefits of individuals’ positive psychological resources as a way to enhance the perceived learning opportunities from resource constraints (i.e., challenge appraisal) were also illustrated. Threat appraisals did not produce the expected effects in this context of continuous improvement, and as such, the theoretical model was refined further. Collectively, this research provides answers to the important question of how individuals can find ways to proactively improve in the face of resource constraints, which is a timely and relevant topic across contemporary organizational contexts today. / Thesis (Ph.D, Management) -- Queen's University, 2013-09-27 18:02:23.883

La mejora de los procesos es fundamental en el crecimiento de cualquier organización que tenga metas cada más ambiciosa. Entre estas organizaciones se encuentra las empresas del rubro joyero que requieres de diversos recursos como la mano de obra calificada, tecnología y proveedores confiables, que cumplan los plazos de entrega establecidos y cuenten con productos de calidad. Es por ello, que las empresas de este rubro buscan a estos proveedores para mantener una relación a largo plazo con sus clientes, ya que de ellos dependerá del ritmo de producción que tendrá la empresa productora de joyas. En la presente investigación se realiza con la finalidad de analizar la situación actual de trabajo en una empresa productora de joyas y presentar propuestas de mejora en los procesos realizados por esta que pueda aumentar su rentabilidad y satisfacer las necesidades que tengan sus clientes actuales y potenciales. En primer lugar, en el proyecto se dará una presentación de los conceptos teóricos que son necesarios para realizar el diagnóstico de la problemática, de esta manera se tendrá diversas herramientas que serán útiles para poder plantear las diversas propuestas de mejora en Arin S.A. Las propuestas de mejoras estarán planteadas para poder optimizar los procesos que realizan y de esta manera establecer una cultura de mejora continua dentro de la organización. Por último, el objetivo de esta investigación es que se pueda ordenar el área de producción y ejecutar las propuestas de mejora que se consideren necesarias. Gracias a ello, se optimizará los procesos internos de tal manera que se consigan procedimientos eficientes y eficaces cambiando procedimientos, modificando métodos de trabajo, eliminando procesos improductivos y elevando el ritmo de producción. / Process improvement is fundamental to the growth of any organization with increasingly ambitious goals. Among these organizations are the jewelry companies that require various resources such as skilled labor, technology and reliable suppliers, that meet delivery deadlines and have quality products. It is for this reason that the companies in this area look for these suppliers to maintain a long-term relationship with their customers, since they will depend on the rate of production that will have the jewelry producing company. This research is carried out with the aim of analysing the current work situation in a jewellery production company and presenting proposals for improving the processes carried out by this one, so as to increase its profitability and satisfy the needs of its current and potential clients. In the first place, the project will give a presentation of the theoretical concepts that are necessary to make the diagnosis of the problem, in this way will have various tools that will be useful to raise the various proposals for improvement in Arin SA. The proposals for improvements will be raised to optimize the processes they perform and thus establish a culture of continuous improvement within the organization. Finally, the objective of this research is to be able to organize the production area and execute the improvement proposals that are considered necessary. As a result, internal processes will be optimized in such a way that efficient and effective procedures are achieved by changing procedures, modifying working methods, eliminating unproductive processes and increasing the production rate. / Tesis

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (SA) set out its Vision 2030 of itself as a significant Knowledge Economy to position itself competitively in the world and in the Gulf region. The Government charged the education sector to prepare young people and build the creativity, innovation and technical skills for the country’s future. The Ministry of Education (MOE) selected TQM and has made strategic investments to achieve this strategic transformation in education. Despite this substantial investment in the infrastructure, teaching skills, information technology and advancement programmes for women to enter the workplace, the implementation of TQM has not so far delivered the outcomes expected in secondary schools (Bank, 2008; Chapman and Miric, 2009; TIMSS, 2011). This research proposes that a programme that primarily focuses on the hard aspects of change, without participatory leadership and without integrating the people concerned (as a soft programme would), cannot achieve sustainable transformation. An empirical study was designed to investigate staff perception of TQM implementation in girls’ secondary schools in the Kingdom. The 525 respondents from 61 schools in five districts of Riyadh suggest that the most pivotal critical success factors (CSFs) limiting the development of TQM culture were Top Management Commitment; Training; Tools and Techniques; and Reward and Recognition. The perception results were then used as the baseline to design a model that integrates the hard and soft CSFs of TQM in five stages of maturity. This assessment model could be used to support the schools and the MOE in objectively assessing the readiness of schools to implement TQM and identify the next major obstacles to reaching the next stage. The design approach of a maturity model is innovative in using context perception data as the baseline for designing the stages of maturity and the success factors the progress of change, making its use appropriate for the girls’ schools in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.