Användningen av ledningsbloggar som verktyg för   internkommunikation har ökat, samtidigt som forskning visar att högsta   ledningen i många organisationer ser brister i sin kommunikativa förmåga.   Kombinationen av ett begränsat forskningsunderlag kring fenomenet   ledningsblogg och betydelsen av ett kontinuerligt och framgångsrikt förbättringsarbete   ger denna uppsats sitt syfte: Att bidra med kunskapsutveckling kring hur högsta   ledningen kan stimulera en organisation mot en högre grad av ständiga   förbättringar genom att kommunicera internt via en blogg. En kvalitativ studie utfördes i form av en   fallstudie på en organisation där ständiga förbättringar ingår i strategin   och utgör en del av visionen och 2016 års mål. Intervjuer genomfördes med   chefer på lägsta nivå kring deras upplevelse av den befintliga ledningsbloggen.   Resultatet från intervjuerna analyserades mot befintlig teori samt existerande   blogginlägg. Analysen utgick från Koenig och Schlaegels (2014) sex teman som beskriver   hur bloggens designkarakteristika påverkar läsarens upplevelse:   Innehållsvärde, Underhållsvärde, Styrning/Förvaltning, Användbarhet,   Interaktion och Marknadsföringsbudskap. Baserat på dessa sex teman har två fiskbensdiagram   tagits fram positiva och negativa upplevelser redovisas. Dessa upplevelser kan   påverka attityden och därmed beteendet och på så sätt utgöra stimulans   respektive hinder i arbetet mot en högre grad av ständiga förbättringar. Resultatet visar att rätt använd kan en intern   ledningsblogg vara ett effektivt verktyg för att påverka organisationskulturen,   men det krävs kunskap om retorik för att inte riskera att bloggen blir mer av   ett hinder än ett verktyg som stimulerar. För att uppnå positiv påverkan behöver   mottagaren ges en upplevelse av såväl nytta, enkelhet som nöje och resultatet   visar också att genom att fokusera på mottagaren kan olika typer av   kommunikationsbarriärer övervinnas. Ett antal aspekter som bör prägla bloggen   för att stimulera till ständiga förbättringar har identifierats, och även ett   antal aspekter som kan utgöra hinder. Analytisk generalisering av dessa   slutsatser bidrar till kunskapsutveckling inom området. Denna uppsats har resulterat i bekräftelse av   tidigare forskning, konkreta användarråd samt förslag på vidare forskning för   att ytterligare reducera det gap som finns kring detta område. / The use of   management blogs as a tool for internal communication has increased, at the   same time research shows that top management in many organizations sees   shortcomings in their own communicative ability. The combination of limited research   about the phenomenon of management blogs and the importance of a continuous and   successful improvement work gives this study it´s purpose: To contribute with   knowledge about how top management can stimulate an organization towards a   higher degree of continuous improvements by communicating internal through a   blog. A qualitative   study was conducted as a case study in an organization where continuous improvements   are part of the strategy and forms part of the vision and the objectives of   2016. Interviews were   performed with managers at the lowest level regarding their experience of the   management blog in the organization. The results of the interviews were   analyzed against existing theory and blog posts. The analysis was based on Koenig   and Schlaegel's (2014) six themes describing how the blog's design   characteristics affect the reader's experience: Content Value, Maintenance   Value, Management / Management, Usability, Interaction and Marketing. Based on these   six themes, two fishbone diagrams have been produced that report positive and   negative experiences. These experiences can affect the attitude and hence   behavior and thus constitute the stimulus's respective barriers in the work   towards a higher degree of continuous improvement. The result shows   that properly used, an internal management blog can be an effective tool for influencing   organizational culture, but knowledge of rhetoric is required to avoid   risking blogging becoming more of a barrier than a tool that stimulates. To   achieve positive impact, the recipient needs experience of both usefulness,   simplicity and pleasure and the result also shows that by focusing on the   recipient, different types of communication barriers can be overcome. A   number of aspects that should characterize the blog to stimulate continuous improvements   have been identified, as well as a number of issues that may constitute obstacles.   Analytical generalization of these conclusions contributes to knowledge development   in the area. This study has   resulted in confirmation of previous research, concrete user advice and suggestions   for further research to further reduce the gap that exists around this area. / <p>2017-06-28</p>

Tillverkande företag kan stöta på hinder inom produktionsflödet. Dessa kan bero på kommunikationsbrister, problem med produktionsplaneringen eller någon annan typ av ledning, samt problem som uppstår på grund av varierande kapacitet i olika operationer inom företagets flöde. Syftet med detta arbete är därför att undersöka och identifiera organisatoriska utmaningar som kan finnas i ett tillverkande företags produktionsflöde. Målet med studien är att metodiskt och strukturerat belysa problem och dra upp dem till ytan. För att ta reda på de organisatoriska utmaningarna undersöktes produktionsflödet genom en specifik process på ett fallföretag, en härdningsprocess. Tillvägagångssättet för undersökningen som genomförts är en litteraturgenomgång som introducerar begreppet Lean Production, samt förstudier i form av åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer. Svaren från intervjuerna utgjorde grunden för en workshop som genomfördes med totalt 14 deltagare från företaget. Resultatet från undersökningen gjorde det tydligt att det finns förbättringspotential med avseende på många olika faktorer inom flödet. I dagsläget saknas en tydlig kommunikation om behov mellan olika processer före och efter härdning. Det resulterar i ett ojämnt flöde av produkter och behov av en tydligare planering i produktionsflödet. Resultatet av undersökningen utgör grunden till en föreslagen arbetsmetod på fallföretaget med syfte att minska eller eliminera de identifierade utmaningarna. Slutsatsen av studien blir således att de olika metoderna och modellerna inom Lean Production med fördel kan assistera fallföretaget i att hantera aktuella utmaningar samt synliggöra eventuella nya utmaningar. För att säkerställa att den framtagna arbetsmetoden fungerar på andra tillverkande företag krävs dock ytterligare forskning på fler företag. / Obstacles within production flows at manufacturing companies can occur. These obstacles may occur due to lack of communication, problems with the production planning department or some other leading function within the company, alternatively due to varying capacity of different operations in the production flow.  Because of these problems, the purpose of this thesis is to investigate and identify possible organizational challenges within the production flow of a manufacturing company. The objective with this analysis is to enlighten problems in a methodical and structured way. In order to identify the organizational challenges, the production flow through a specific process at a case company is being analyzed, a curing process. A literature review introducing Lean Production, as well as eight semi-structured interviews, was the beginning of the methodology. To answer the purpose of the thesis, a workshop with 14 participants from the company was held, and the interview answers formed the base for the workshop.  Results of the study shows that the production flow has a few areas that are in need of some improvements. Today, the company is lacking a clear communication of needs between some processes before and after the curing process. The results of this is an uneven product flow and the need for clearer, short term planning within the production flow. Results of the study will be implemented in the working method at the case company, with the purpose to reduce or eliminate the identified challenges.  Outcomes of this thesis are methods and models within Lean Production that could assist the case company in addressing existing challenges as well as identifying future challenges. In order to ensure that the suggested method is applicable by other manufacturing companies, further research of more companies is needed.

Byggindustrin har länge tampats med en undermålig produktivitetsutveckling i förhållande till andra industrier och då speciellt processindustrin. Det har gjorts många försök att industrialisera byggandet för att dra nytta av standardiserade produkter och processer, i Sverige mest utmärkande under 60-talets miljonprogram vilket var kraftigt influerat av dåtidens rådande produktionsfilosofi - massproduktion. För närvarande  baseras  industrialiseringsarbetet  på  koncept  från  lean  production  där  fokus  ligger  i  att eliminera alla former av slöserier via det som kallas industriellt byggande. Syftet med denna rapport är att med hjälp av filosofier från lean production undersöka hur koncept från industriellt byggande appliceras i produktionen av bostäder där prefabricerade betongelement används. Anledningen till att  detta  perspektiv  väljs  baseras  i att ett  konceptuellt  ramverk deriverat  från lean production  lämpar  sig  ytterst  väl  för  att  undersöka  och  analysera  värdeflöden,  speciellt  i  en produktionsmiljö. Ett av Sveriges största byggbolag, NCC AB, använder sig för närvarande av tekniska plattformar och konceptuella produkter för att industrialisera sin process vid upplåtandet hyresfastigheter med  minimering  av  produktionskostnad  och  tid  som  huvudmål.  En  av  huvudkomponenterna   i produktionen av dessa bostäder är prefabricerade betongelement vilket gör att företaget lämpar sig ytterst väl för en fallstudie. Några av de huvudresultat som denna rapport utmynnat i är att det studerade företaget och i förlängningen hela byggbranschen dras med ett kraftigt eftersatt förbättringsarbete - continuous improvements vilket kan vara en av huvudförklaringarna till sektorns låga produktivitetsutveckling jämfört med processindustrins dito. Vidare har tre fokusområden tagits fram baserat på den utförda fallstudien som sedan ställts i relation  till  teori  inom  industriellt  byggande.  Dessa  tre fokusområden  har  givits  epitetet  pelare för industrialisering  och  det  argumenteras  för  att  dessa  pelare  måste  beaktas  för  att  möjliggöra  en framgångsrik industriell byggprocess. / The  construction  industry  has  during  a  long  time  suffered  from  poor  development  in  productivity compared to other industries, especially the manufacturing industry. Many initiatives for industrialization have been made during the past decade in order to benefit from standardized products and processes, in Sweden most notably through "Miljonprogrammet" in the 1960s. This era was heavily influenced by the prevailing production philosophy in the manufacturing industry at the time - mass production. Today the industrialization  initiatives  are  based  on  concepts  from  lean  production  where  the  focus  is  upon eliminating all forms of waste through what is related to as industrial construction. This report is based on the purpose to, using lean philosophies and tools, investigate how concepts from industrial construction is applied in the production of residential buildings using prefabricated concrete elements. The perspective of lean production is chosen because it is suitable for the study of value flows, especially in a production environment. One of the largest  Swedish construction firms  - NCC  AB, currently deploys technical platforms and conceptual products in order to industrialize the processes used to construct rental housing with production cost and time reduction in focus. One of the key components used are prefabricated concrete elements which means the company is suitable as a case study. Some of the main results extracted through this research is that the studied company and in extension the entire construction industry performs poorly in terms of continuous improvements. This could be a main explanation for the industry’s productivity development in comparison with other industries, especially the manufacturing industry. Further, three areas of particular importance are derived from the case study and compared to theory within industrial construction. These areas are, in this report, labeled pillars for industrialization and it  is  argued for  that  these pillars  needs  to be considered  in order  to  enable a successful industrialized construction process.

An initial review of literature concerned with commercial and industrial office design indicated the need to research and develop a method for the design of the management systems of offices with the purpose of improving the operational effectiveness and alignment to strategy. In particular the literature review indicated that the application of lean methods, in non-manufacturing areas is comparatively rare. A critical review of the literature identified that Value Stream Mapping has been used to map mechanistic task activities, however, a need was identified for a new generation of Value Stream Mapping to map mixed mechanistic and organic task activities. To complement the literature survey and discover if there were significant variables (e.g. task uncertainty, interdependence, task complexity, mechanistic / organic structures, risk, task analysability etc) influencing office design, pilot studies were carried out in a mechanistic and organic office. Several additional variables were identified. From the pilot studies combined with the literature review a conceptual model was formulated which provides guidelines for managers enabling them to design the management systems fully taking all the variables into account. The conceptual model was then tested using a multiple case study design of two small consulting type offices that exhibited mixed mechanistic and organic characteristics. This resulted in an improved version of the model which was then further validated. This validation based upon the opinions of office managers focused mainly on identifying the practical usefulness of the model from an industrial perspective. Following the validation a final form of the model has been proposed in this research. It remains for future researchers to fully test the model by applying it in a wider range of offices. This study makes an explicit contribution to the redesign of offices as well as the utilisation of Value Stream Mapping to the mechanistic and the organic task activities within commercial and industrial offices.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-22T22:11:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Marcu_Aurelio.pdf: 6856454 bytes, checksum: 8b0130e36bdbeac8f01f349628863ece (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-12-02 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This research addresses the Products Development Process - (PDP) adopted in manufacturing companies of artifacts for mobile communication (cellular), installed in Manaus Industrial Pole (MIP), the research is focused on how companies deal with the introduction of a new product on the market and which information is to be used to improve its process and products. The work refers to the flow of information used in the process of introduction and analysis of failures of the products, in particular in relation to the monitoring process for new products, currently used in 02 (two) multinational companies. It raised issues regarding the monitoring of the quality of their products recently launched in the market and which analytical techniques are adopted, and the comprehensiveness of the same, as well as how the information reaches the department of new products, in each organization. This is a case study involving the processes of monitoring and analysis of failures in products on the market, and comparing the processes used in the surveyed companies, pointing out the main elements and contribution to the PDP model, as well as the strengths and weaknesses in each case. As a conclusion to the work, a theoretical model of information management as a complement to the current PDP model is presented, considering the experience acquired in 08 (eight) years of work in the areas of testing and analysis of failures in products and in the department of development of new products and software development. / O presente trabalho de pesquisa verse sobre o Processo de Desenvolvimento de Produtos (PDP) adotado em empresas manufatureiras de artefatos de comunicação móvel (celulares), instaladas no Pólo Industrial de Manaus (PIM), a pesquisa esta focada em como as empresas lidam com a introdução de um novo produto no mercado e quais informações são utilizadas para melhorias em seus processo e produtos. O trabalho refere-se ao fluxo de informações adotado no processo de introdução e analise de falhas dos produtos, em especial no que se refere ao processo de acompanhamento de novos produtos, atualmente utilizado nas 02 (duas) empresas multinacionais. Foram focados aspectos quanto ao monitoramento da qualidade de seus produtos recém lançados no mercado e quais técnicas de analise são adotadas e a abrangência das mesmas, assim como a informação chega ao departamento de novos produtos, em cada organização. Trata-se de um estudo de caso envolvendo os processos de acompanhamento e análise de falhas em produtos no mercado, comparando os processos utilizados nas empresas pesquisadas, apontando os principais elementos e contribuição para o modelo PDP, assim como os pontos fortes e fracos em cada processo. Como conclusão do trabalho, é apresentado um modelo teórico de gestão da informação como complemento ao atual modelo PDP, considerando-se a experiência adquirida em 08 (oito) anos de trabalho nas áreas de teste e analise de falhas em produtos e no departamento de desenvolvimento de novos produtos e desenvolvimento de software.

<p>The purpose of this thesis has been to investigate the effect of introducing the qualitystandard ISO 9001:2000 at Metso Paper Service in Sundsvall. The investigation has been focused on implementation of the new method of work, Continuous improvements. The implementation has been studied in a case study with both a qualitative and quantitative method. </p><p>Continuous Improvements is a way of working focused on continuously increasing the efficiency and having the purpose of achieving the formulated goals. This is often accomplished by the organisation carrying out the changing process to a great extent in small but efficient teams. </p><p>The effects of Metso’s introduction of the system are many. Above all the possibility of influence on the changing process has increased. This study also shows significant increase of the motivation and engagement of the employees as well as the number of ideas of improvements. This documentation ends with recommendations for further improvements of the system.</p>

The purpose of this thesis has been to investigate the effect of introducing the qualitystandard ISO 9001:2000 at Metso Paper Service in Sundsvall. The investigation has been focused on implementation of the new method of work, Continuous improvements. The implementation has been studied in a case study with both a qualitative and quantitative method. Continuous Improvements is a way of working focused on continuously increasing the efficiency and having the purpose of achieving the formulated goals. This is often accomplished by the organisation carrying out the changing process to a great extent in small but efficient teams. The effects of Metso’s introduction of the system are many. Above all the possibility of influence on the changing process has increased. This study also shows significant increase of the motivation and engagement of the employees as well as the number of ideas of improvements. This documentation ends with recommendations for further improvements of the system.

Studien tittar på hur ledarskapet påverkar medarbetarnas motivation i förbättringsarbetet och har sin teoretiska grund i offensiv kvalitetsutveckling och hörnstensmodellen. Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur ledarskapet kan påverka medarbetarnas delaktighet och motivation till ett ständigt förbättringsarbete i en organisation. Undersökningen gjordes genom en kvalitativ fallstudie med induktiv ansats där information samlades in och utifrån insamlad information drogs generella slutsatser med hjälp av teori och tidigare forskning. Resultatet i undersökningen visade sig överensstämma med tidigare forskning.  Medarbetarna motiveras till förbättringsarbete av att se resultat och skapa förändringar som underlättar i vardagen och att arbeta tvärfunktionellt.  Ledarnas viktigaste uppgift för att motivera medarbetarna är att skapa förutsättningar för förbättringsarbete, framförallt genom att frigöra tid till förbättringsarbetet, stötta och ge feedback under arbetets gång och följa upp arbetet.  Resultatet visar även att ledarna i undersökningen är ensamma i förbättringsarbetet och skulle behöva stöttning och utbildning i förbättringsarbete för att kunna driva arbetet framåt på ett ännu bättre sätt. / This study   examines how leadership behaviors impact employee motivation in continuous   improvements and has its theoretical foundation in Total Quality Management   and the cornerstone-model (hörnstensmodellen). The study aims to examine how   leadership can effect employee participation and motivation in continuous   improvements in an organization. A qualitative   case study, with an inductive approach where information was gathered and   conclusions were drawn with the help of theory and previous research, has   been used. The result of the   study matched previous research in the field of continuous improvements as   shown below.  Employees is   motivated by seeing results and making improvements which facilitates their   everyday work. Also they are motivated by working cross-functional in the   organization.  The most   important job for the leaders to motivate the employees is to create good conditions   for working with improvements, most of all through making time for   improvement work, support and give feedback during the improvements and to do   regular follow ups.  The result also   shows that the leaders that participated in the research are on their own in   the work with improvement and that they are in need of support and training   in working with improvements to be able to drive the work forward in an even   better way. / <p>2017-06-28</p>

Under en explorativ fallstudie på Volvo CE Arvika har förutsättningarna för organisatoriskt lärande undersökts med avsikt att skapa en erfarenhetspolicy anpassad till företaget. Organisatoriskt lärande är ett betydelsefullt område och bör ses som en förutsättning för ständiga förbättringar. Det bidrar till en konkurrenskraftig verksamhet som inte går att replikera. Organisatoriskt lärande har behandlats teoretiskt av flertalet författare men det finns en avsaknad av dokumenterade praktiska undersökningar. Genom studien beskrivs ett företags organisatoriska lärande utifrån en explorativ undersökning grundad i Senges fem discipliner (personligt mästerskap, mentala modeller, gemensamma visioner, lära tillsammans samt systemtänkande) och Garvin et al. tre byggstenar (en miljö som främjar lärande, konkreta processer och tillvägagångsätt för lärande samt ledarskap som främjar lärande). Undersökningsmetoden kartlade förtegets organisatoriska lärande väl med undantag från att inga mentala modeller identifierades. Studien resulterade i 16 förbättringsförslag och en erfarenhetspolicy bestående av: En Erfarenhetsanalys: ett dokument för insamling av erfarenheter. Ett Erfarenhetsplank: ett verktyg för att presentera, samla och skapa överblick kring erfarenheters uppkomst och karaktär inom projekt. En mappstruktur: för standardiserad och tillgänglig hantering av erfarenhetsdokumentation. Beskrivningen av företagets organisatoriska lärande och den framtagna erfarenhetspolicyn är primärt av intresse för det undersökta företaget. Undersökningsmetoden som används för att kartlägga organisatoriska lärande kan med mindre modifikation användas för andra företag som kan förvänta sig likvärdiga resultat. Även den av studien resulterande erfarenhetspolicyn kan modifieras för att passa andra företag och utgör ett exempel att benchmarka på. / Through an explorative case study, conducted at Volvo CE Arvika, the conditions for organizational learning have been examined in order to create a lesson learned policy, tailored to the company. Organizational learning is an essential area that should be viewed as a corner stone to continuous improvements as well as creating a competitive advantage that cannot be replicated. Several academics have contributed to the field of organizational learning, however, there is a lack of documented practical studies within the field. This thesis describes a company’s organizational learning based on Senges five disciplines (personal mastery, mental models, building a shared vision, team learning, and system thinking) and Garvin et al. three building blocks (supportive learning environment, concrete learning processes and practices, and leadership that reinforces learning) through an explorative case study. The method enabled the company’s organizational learning to be mapped with the exception of mental models which were not identified. This study resulted in 16 improvement proposals and a lesson learned policy consisting of: Experience analysis: A document for the collection of experiences. Experience wall: A tool for visualization to create an overview of the origin and character of the experiences gathered from a project. File structure: In order to standardize the storage of documented experiences with an emphasis on availability. The description of the company's organizational learning and the developed lessoned learned policy are primarily of interest to the investigated company. The method used to map organizational learning in this case study can, with minor modifications, be used by other companies that can expect equivalent results. The lessoned learned policy resulting from the study can also be modified to suit other companies and it provides an example to benchmark on.

Background and problems: ​In a market with increased competitiveness, it's important for companies to achieve superior performance. Thus by being quick at meeting new market conditions and customer needs. To achieve superiority, kaizen is a suitable tool to use. The kaizen-philosophy comprises to constantly make improvements in everyday work and require commitment from all parties in a company. Some improvements work advantageously occasionally while others give good and long lasting effects. It may be difficult for organizations to maintain the results of kaizen improvements and the effects may diminish some time after implementation. Generally for companies that work according to the philosophy is that some improvements are implemented without adequate guidance and resources. This results in frustration since the improvements do not remain successful. Whether a kaizen-improvement implementation is successful has many influencing factors. In order to investigate this problem, Scania has been studied in regard of the company's good experience in applying the kaizen-philosophy. Previous research and literature have been investigated in order to support and analyze the topic. Thus, this study's research question is "What factors affect success and survival in implementation of a kaizen-improvement?". 5 Purpose:​ The purpose with this case study is to create a profound understanding of underlying factors which are critical for implementing kaizen-improvements and its further survival. Thus to understand what characterizes an successful implementation of kaizen-improvements. By successful kaizen improvement is meant an improvement that is standardized and becomes a beneficial part of the company. Method: ​This thesis is based on a qualitative research strategy. The research design is a single case study with semi-structured interviews as a method for the empirical material that has been collected. Conclusion: ​In the implementation process ten successfactors were identified in three different areas where Scania experienced difficulties with kaizen. In the first area, difficulties were due to cheating in the preparation stage. Here, the following successfactors were identified: An accurate and favourable current situation analysis, communication of the current situation and a good competence assessment. The second area was due to difficulties in implementing new working methods. Here, the following successfactors were identified: Communication of goals, employee training and favourable follow-up. The last area was due to difficulties in motivation employees. Here, the following successfactors were identified: Commitment and participation, responsibility, avoiding guilt and good leadership.