Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Volatility, globalisation, turbulence and constant change are some of the challenges facing
the business environment today. Companies have proposed and tested many strategies to
cope with the unpredictable world of business. In this thesis, a project by an anonymous
South African company (The Company) to respond by improving organisational excellence is
analysed and evaluated against its success in fostering organisational learning.
The Company initiated a project in which Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma and Clear
Leadership Engagement were combined in search of operational excellence.
In Chapter 1, the context is set out. The research question is formulated as follows: to what
extent does organisational learning depend on organisational excellence?
Chapter 2 discusses and defines key process concepts. These are: Lean Manufacturing, Six
Sigma, Lean Six Sigma and Clear Leadership Engagement Models. The chapter also outlines
the key practices and the shortcomings of each process.
Chapter 3 discusses and defines the conceptual building blocks of the thesis. These are the
notions of organisational learning and learning organisation. Tools used to diagnose whether
an organisation is learning are introduced together with an Organisational Learning model to
be used to assess the relationship between Organisational Learning and Operational
Excellence.
Chapter 4 focuses on the project of the Company – the Operational Excellence “journey”.
How the journey was conceived, the players were involved and steps taken to drive it are
described.
In Chapter 5, the combination of Lean Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing and the engagement
models that the Company used, is assessed. The chapter attempts to unravel the reasons
behind this combination and determine how this combination worked in practice. It is through
this chapter that an attempt is made to explain the logic of this unusual combination. Other
businesses have implemented different forms of improvement in isolation, but it is rare to
find a company that combines operational improvement methodologies with an engagement
model.
In Chapter 6, all the theories and empirical evidence come together. In this chapter, the
relationship between Pursuing Operational Excellence (POE) and Organisational Learning is
tested. The author uses the seven salient characteristics of learning organisations, distilled by
the researcher, to prove the positive relationship between Organisational Learning and
Operational Excellence. Through this chapter, the researcher answers the question whether a
positive link exists between POE and Organisational Learning.
It was clear from the research that there is indeed a positive link between POE and
Organisational Learning. What the research could not determine is the degree or the rate of
learning linked to POE, or what percentage of learning the organisation achieved over a
period of time. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Volatiliteit, globalisering, turbulensie en konstante verandering is ‘n uitdaging waarmee die
sake-omgewing deesdae te doen kry. Baie strategieë is voorgestel en getoets deur
maatskappye ten einde by te bly in die onvoorspelbare sake-wêreld. In hierdie tesis word ‘n
projek wat in ‘n anonieme Suid-Afrikaanse maatskappy (The Company) uitgevoer is om op
die uitdagings te reageer, by wyse van ‘n dryf na operasionele uitnemendheid, geanaliseer en
geëvalueer aan die hand van die mate waarin sodanige aksies organisatoriese leer bevorder
het.
The Company het ‘n projek geloods waarin Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma en Clear
Leadership Engagement gekombineer is op soek na operasionele uitnemendheid.
In Hoofstuk 1 word die konteks uiteengesit en die navorsingsvraag geformuleer as die vraag
in watter mate organisatoriese leer deur operasionele uitnemendheid bepaal word.
In Hoofstuk 2 word die kern prosesbegrippe bespreek en gedefinieer. Dit is: Lean
Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma en Clear Leadership Engagement models. Die
hoofstuk gee ook ’n oorsig oor die hoofpraktyke en tekortkominge van elke model.
Hoofstuk 3 bespreek die konseptuele basis van die navorsing. Dit is die konsepte:
Organisatoriese Leer en Lerende Organisasie. Instrumente om te diagnoseer of ’n organisasie
leer, word voorgestel, asook ’n model van Organisatoriese Leer wat gebruik sal word om die
verband tussen Organisatoriese Leer en Operasionele Uitmuntendheid te bepaal.
Hoofstuk 4 fokus op die projek wat The Company onderneem het. In hierdie hoofstuk word
die “reis” na operasionele uitnemendheid beskryf; hoe dit ontstaan het, die rolspelers wat
betrokke was en die stappe wat op die reis geneem is.
In Hoofstuk 5 beoordeel die kombinasie van Lean Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing en die
engagement modelle wat deur die Company gebruik is. Die hoofstuk probeer ontrafel wat die
motivering vir hierdie kombinasie is en hoe dit in die praktyk uitgewerk het. In die hoofstuk
word gepoog om die logika van hierdie ongewone kombinasie te peil. Ander ondernemings
het verskillende vorms van verbetering in isolasie geïmplementeer, maar dit is selde dat ’n
mens ’n maatskappy vind wat operasionele verbeteringsmetodologieë kombineer met ’n
engagement model.
In Hoofstuk 6 kom al die teorieë en empiriese gegewens bymekaar. Dit is in hierdie hoofstuk
waar die verhouding tussen die nastrewing van Operasionele Uitnemendheid en
Organisatoriese Leer getoets word. Die navorser gebruik die sewe kenmerke van Lerende
Organisasies wat tevore geïdentifiseer is om ’n positiewe verband tussen Organisatoriese
Leer en Operasionele Uitnemendheid aan te toon.
Uit die navorsing was dit duidelik dat daar ’n positiewe verband is tussen die nastrewing van
Operasionele Uitnemendheid en Organisatoriese Leer. Maar, wat die navorsing nie kon
beantwoord nie, is die graad of spoed van leer wat met die nastrewing van Operasionele
Uitnemendheid verbind kan word, of watter persentasie leer die organisasie oor ’n gegewe
tydperk bereik het.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/20068 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Mphuthi, Teboho Salmon |
| Contributors | Kinghorn, J., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Science. Dept. of Information Science. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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