Organizational design as an enabler for innovation: evidence from a German Mechanical Engineering Company

Over the past two decades there has been a profusion of empirical studies of organizational design and its relationship to efficiency, productivity and flexibility of an organization. In parallel, there has been a wide range of studies about innovation management in different kind of industries and firms. However, with some exceptions, the organizational and innovation management bodies of literature tend to examine the issues of organizational design and innovation management individually, mainly in the context of large firms operating at the technological frontier. There seems to be a scarcity of empirical studies that bring together organizational design and innovation and examine them empirically and over time in the context of small and medium sized enterprises. This dissertation seeks to provide a small contribution in that direction. This dissertation examines the dynamic relationship between organizational design and innovation. This relationship is examined on the basis of a single-case design in a medium sized mechanical engineering company in Germany. The covered time period ranges from 1958 until 2009, although the actual focus falls on the recent past. This dissertation draws on first-hand qualitative empirical evidence gathered through extensive field work. The main findings are: 1. There is always a bundle of organizational dimensions which impacts innovation. These main organizational design dimensions are: (1) Strategy & Leadership, (2) Resources & Capabilities, (3) Structure, (4) Culture, (5) Networks & Partnerships, (6) Processes and (7) Knowledge Management. However, the importance of the different organizational design dimensions changes over time. While for example for the production of simple, standardized parts, a simple organizational design was appropriate, the company needed to have a more advanced organizational design in order to be able to produce customized, complex parts with high quality. Hence the technological maturity of a company is related to its organizational maturity. 2. The introduction of innovations of the analyzed company were highly dependent on organizational conditions which enabled their introduction. The results of the long term case study show, that some innovations would not have been introduced successfully if the organizational elements like for example training and qualification, the build of network and partnerships or the acquisition of appropriate resources and capabilities, were not in place. Hence it can be concluded, that organizational design is an enabling factor for innovation. These findings contribute to advance our understanding of the complex relationship between organizational design and innovation. This highlights the growing importance of a comprehensive, innovation stimulating organizational design of companies. The results suggest to managers that innovation is not only dependent on a single organizational factor but on the appropriate, comprehensive design of the organization. Hence manager should consider to review regularly the design of their organizations in order to maintain a innovation stimulating environment.

A Study of role conflict, role ambiguity, locus of control, job satisfaction and participation in decision making among front-line vocational service workers for mentally retarded adults

This study was an investigation of individual and organizational factors, as perceived by front-line vocational service workers from Adult Rehabilitation Centres (ARC Industries) for mentally retarded adults. The specific variables which were measured included role conflict/role ambiguity (role factors), internal/external locus of control (individual differences), job satisfaction with work and supervision (job attitudes) and participation in deci~ion making (organizational factor). The exploration of these constructs was conducted by means of self-report questionnaires which were completed by sixty-nine out of a total of ninety front-line employees. The surveys were distributed in booklet form to nine distinct rehabilitation facilities from St. Catharines, West Lincoln, Greater Niagara, Port Colborne, WeIland, Fort Erie, Hamilton, Guelph and Brantford. The survey data was evaluated by the statisti.cal Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) which used the Pearson Product Moment Correlation procedure and a compar~son of means test. A comparison of correlation coefficients test was also conducted. This statistical procedure was calculated mathematically. The results obtained from the statistical evaluation confirmed the prediction that self-reported measures of participation in decision making and satisfaction (work and supervision) would be negatively correlated with role conflict and role ambiguity. As well, the speculation that perceived satisfaction (work and supervision) would be positively correlated with participation in decision making was empirically supported. Internal and external locus of control did not contribute to a significant difference in r~sponses to role perceptions (conflict and ambiguity) , satisfaction (work and supervision) or the correlational relationship between participation in decision making and satisfaction (work and supervision). Overall, the findings from this study substantiated the importance of examining employee perceptions in the workplace and the interrelationships among individual and organizational variables. This research was considered a contribution to the general area of occupational stress and to the study of individuals in work organizations.

Shop-floor narratives : how six workers and a researcher describe learning activities

I am a part-time graduate student who works in industry. This study is my narrative about how six workers and I describe shop-floor learning activities, that is learning activities that occur where work is done, outside a classroom. Because this study is narrative inquiry, you wilileam about me, the narrator, more than you would in a more conventional study. This is a common approach in narrative inquiry and it is important because my intentions shape the way that I tell these six workers' stories. I developed a typology of learning activities by synthesizing various theoretical frameworks. This typology categorizes shop-floor learning activities into five types: onthe- job training, participative learning, educational advertising, incidental learning, and self-directed learning. Although learning can occur in each of these activities in isolation, it is often comprised of a mixture of these activities. The literature review contains a number of cases that have been developed from situations described in the literature. These cases are here to make the similarities and differences between the types of learning activities that they represent more understandable to the reader and to ground the typology in practice as well as in theory. The findings are presented as reader's theatre, a dramatic presentation of these workers' narratives. The workers tell us that learning involves "being shown," and if this is not done properly they "learn the hard way." I found that many of their best case lean1ing activities involved on-the-job training, participative learning, incidentalleaming, and self-directed learning. Worst case examples were typically lacking in properly designed and delivered participative learning activities and to a lesser degree lacking carefully planned and delivered on-the-job training activities. Included are two reflective chapters that describe two cases: Learning "Engels" (English), and Learning to Write. In these chapters you will read about how I came to see that my own shop-floor learning-learning to write this thesis-could be enhanced through participative learning activities. I came to see my thesis supervisor as not only my instructor who directed and judged my learning activities, but also as a more experienced researcher who was there to participate in this process with me and to help me begin to enter the research community. Shop-floor learning involves learners and educators participating in multistranded learning activities, which require an organizational factor of careful planning and delivery. As with learning activities, which can be multi-stranded, so too, there can be multiple orientations to learning on the shop floor. In our stories, you will see that these six workers and I didn't exhibit just one orientation to learning in our stories. Our stories demonstrate that we could be behaviorist and cognitivist and humanist and social learners and constructivist in our orientation to learning. Our stories show that learning is complex and involves multiple strands, orientations, and factors. Our stories show that learning narratives capture the essence of learning-the learners, the educators, the learning activities, the organizational factors, and the learning orientations. Learning narratives can help learners and educators make sense of shop-floor learning.

Los horarios laborales y su influencia en la percepción del equilibro trabajo-familia

Conciliar el trabajo y la familia es una lucha cotidiana que cada persona realiza para satisfacer las exigencias de ambas dimensiones de su vida. El no tener consciencia del problema que surge en el empleado para lograr esta conciliación y la ausencia de soluciones eficaces a éste, no sólo afecta a la organización a través de la baja productividad, el absentismo, el aumento del estrés, entre otros efectos; sino también a la vida familiar, social, física y psicológica del trabajador. Es por ello, que este proyecto de grado busca a partir de la revisión de la literatura mostrar cómo la percepción que tienen los trabajadores de su equilibrio trabajo-familia, se ve influenciada por un factor organizativo, como lo son los turnos laborales; además evidenciar las soluciones que se han implementado en las diferentes empresas de manera exitósa, para finalmente plantear estrategias que se puedan aplicar en las organizaciones facilitando el equilibrio trabajo-familia de los trabajadores.

Acciones de promoción de la salud organizacional y su relación con variables estructurales y el bienestar de los trabajadores: análisis desde un modelo de organizaciones saludables

El bienestar de los trabajadores es un imperativo categórico para las organizaciones tanto por razones éticas como por razones de competitividad. La creación de organizaciones o entornos laborales que promuevan el bienestar de los trabajadores constituye un gran reto para las organizaciones y un ámbito de estudio académico. En el presente artículo se describe la relación que existe entre un conjunto de factores organizacionales y su impacto en el bienestar de un grupo de trabajadores, expresado a través del engagement, la satisfacción con el trabajo y la ansiedad relacionada con el trabajo. Para probar las relaciones hipotetizadas se empleó un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales y los resultados obtenidos señalan que las acciones de promoción de la salud organizacional tiene un impacto significativo en los valores culturales y en la adopción de prácticas organizacionales

Influência dos fatores organizacionais no sucesso de projetos no setor automotivo

Pós-graduação em Engenharia de Produção - FEB

Addressing Multilevel Program Complexity by Evaluation Design

In this paper, we present the evaluation design for a complex multilevel program recently introduced in Switzerland. The evaluation embraces the federal level, the cantonal program level, and the project level where target groups are directly addressed. We employ Pawson and Tilley’s realist evaluation approach, in order to do justice to the varying context factors that impact the cantonal programs leading to varying effectiveness of the implemented activities. The application of the model to the canton of Uri shows that the numerous vertical and horizontal relations play a crucial role for the program’s effectiveness. As a general learning for the evaluation of complex programs, we state that there is a need to consider all affected levels of a program and that no monocausal effects can be singled out in programs where multiple interventions address the same problem. Moreover, considering all affected levels of a program can mean going beyond the borders of the actual program organization and including factors that do not directly interfere with the policy delivery as such. In particular, we found that the relationship between the cantonal and the federal level was a crucial organizational factor influencing the effectiveness of the cantonal program.

L’engagement au développement professionnel des infirmières œuvrant en centre hospitalier universitaire : une étude qualitative descriptive.

Le développement professionnel (DP) des infirmières est essentiel et déterminant dans l’obtention d’une meilleure qualité de soins. Pour se réaliser, le développement professionnel nécessite un engagement individuel des infirmières elles-mêmes. Or, une disparité est observée en centre hospitalier universitaire (CHU) entre la volonté exprimée par les infirmières de poursuivre leur DP et leur assiduité dans les activités de développement offertes par les organisations. L’objectif de cette étude qualitative est de décrire la perception des infirmières œuvrant en CHU (n=8) en regard des facteurs organisationnels susceptibles de favoriser leur engagement à poursuivre leur développement professionnel. Cette analyse a été effectuée à partir de huit entrevues individuelles semi-dirigées réalisées auprès d’infirmières œuvrant dans le secteur de chirurgie du CHU Sainte-Justine. Les résultats démontrent que de nombreux facteurs organisationnels et individuels. Les principaux facteurs influant sur l’engagement des infirmières sont : a) un environnement favorable au DP; b) l’accessibilité au DP et; c) des modalités de DP variées. Les modalités les plus favorables sont celles favorisant leur autonomie et incitant leur implication. En conclusion, pour obtenir un maximum d’engagement des infirmières, les organisations doivent présenter une offre de DP variée et structurée, répondant aux besoins professionnels des infirmières, tout en mitigeant l’impact des contraintes liées à leur fonction et à leur vie personnelle.

L’engagement au développement professionnel des infirmières œuvrant en centre hospitalier universitaire : une étude qualitative descriptive

Le développement professionnel (DP) des infirmières est essentiel et déterminant dans l’obtention d’une meilleure qualité de soins. Pour se réaliser, le développement professionnel nécessite un engagement individuel des infirmières elles-mêmes. Or, une disparité est observée en centre hospitalier universitaire (CHU) entre la volonté exprimée par les infirmières de poursuivre leur DP et leur assiduité dans les activités de développement offertes par les organisations. L’objectif de cette étude qualitative est de décrire la perception des infirmières œuvrant en CHU (n=8) en regard des facteurs organisationnels susceptibles de favoriser leur engagement à poursuivre leur développement professionnel. Cette analyse a été effectuée à partir de huit entrevues individuelles semi-dirigées réalisées auprès d’infirmières œuvrant dans le secteur de chirurgie du CHU Sainte-Justine. Les résultats démontrent que de nombreux facteurs organisationnels et individuels. Les principaux facteurs influant sur l’engagement des infirmières sont : a) un environnement favorable au DP; b) l’accessibilité au DP et; c) des modalités de DP variées. Les modalités les plus favorables sont celles favorisant leur autonomie et incitant leur implication. En conclusion, pour obtenir un maximum d’engagement des infirmières, les organisations doivent présenter une offre de DP variée et structurée, répondant aux besoins professionnels des infirmières, tout en mitigeant l’impact des contraintes liées à leur fonction et à leur vie personnelle.

Is your organizational culture fit for business process management?

All processes are modeled, all process metrics defined, all process support systems are set up; yet still, processes are not running smoothly and departmental silos are more present than ever. Both practitioners and academics tell the same story. A successful business process management (BPM) implementation goes beyond using the right methods and putting the right systems in place. In fact, an important success factor for BPM is establishing the right organizational culture, that is, a culture that supports the achievement and maintenance of efficient and effective business processes.

Professional Driving : An Emphasis on Organizational Safety Climate

According to the literature and statistical figures, professional drivers constitute a high-risk group in traffic and should be investigated in connection with the factors related to safe driving. However, safety-related behaviours and outcomes among professional drivers have attracted very little attention from safety researchers. In addition, comparing different professional and non-professional driver groups in terms of critical on-the-road characteristics and outcomes has been indicated in the literature as being necessary for a more comprehensive understanding of driver groups and the nature of driving itself. The aim of the present study was to investigate professional driving from a safety climate stand point in relation to predominant driving-related factors and by considering the differences between driver groups. Hence, four Sub-studies were conducted according to a framework emphasizing the relationships between safety climate, driver groups, driver stress, human factors (i.e., driver behaviour and performance) and accidents. Demographic information, as well as data for driver behaviour, performance, and driver stress was collected by questionnaire. The data was analysed using factor analysis, analysis of covariance as well as hierarchical and logistic regression analysis. The results revealed multi-dimensional factor structures for the safety climate measures. Considering the relationships between variables, differences were evidenced regarding on-the-road stress reactions, risky driver behaviours and penalties, between the various professional and non-professional driver groups. Driver stress was found to be related to accidents. The results also indicated that the safety climate has positive relationships with both driver behaviour and performance, and as well as involvement in accidents. The present study has a number of critical implications resulting from the fact that the way in which the effects of safety climate on professional driving were investigated, as well as the differences between professional and non-professional driver groups, was unique. Additionally, for the first time, a safety climate scale was developed specifically for professional drivers. According to the results of the study and to previous literature, a tentative model was proposed representing a possible route for the relationships between safety climate, human factors, driver stress, driver groups and accidents, by emphasizing the effects of safety climate.

Repensando la confianza como factor crítico en la gestión organizativa

[ES] La confianza en el mundo de los negocios es un factor esencial que viene siendo estudiado por la literatura del Management desde hace décadas. Partiendo de la propuesta seminal de Mayer et al. (1995), acerca de qué es la confianza y cómo se desarrolla en el seno de las organizaciones, proponemos trazar una crítica constructiva al modelo descrito a partir de las aportaciones de Spaemann, autor de dilatada trayectoria en el marco de la denominada “Filosofía Moral de la Europa Continental”.

La gestión empresarial como factor clave de desarrollo de las spin-offs universitarias. Análisis organizativo y financiero

[ES] En las últimas décadas el número de spin-offs universitarias creadas en el Sistema Universitario Español ha aumentado considerablemente; sin embargo, estas empresas tienen que hacer frente a problemas como la falta de financiación o de capacidades empresariales por parte de los fundadores. A partir de los datos extraídos de una encuesta a 72 spin-offs creadas en España, tratamos de detectar y analizar cuáles son los problemas más habituales con los que se encuentran estas empresas, y proponemos posibles vías de solución.

Factor analysis and structural equation modelling of sustainable behaviour in contaminated land remediation

Contaminated land remediation has traditionally been viewed as sustainable practice because it reduces urban sprawl and mitigates risks to human being and the environment. However, in an emerging green and sustainable remediation (GSR) movement, remediation practitioners have increasingly recognized that remediation operations have their own environmental footprint. The GSR calls for sustainable behaviour in the remediation industry, for which a series of white papers and guidance documents have been published by various government agencies and professional organizations. However, the relationship between the adoption of such sustainable behaviour and its underlying driving forces has not been studied. This study aims to contribute to sustainability science by rendering a better understanding of what drives organizational behaviour in adopting sustainable practices. Factor analysis (FA) and structural equation modelling (SEM) were used to investigate the relationship between sustainable practices and key factors driving these behaviour changes in the remediation field. A conceptual model on sustainability in the environmental remediation industry was developed on the basis of stakeholder and institutional theories. The FA classified sustainability considerations, institutional promoting and impeding forces, and stakeholder's influence. Subsequently the SEM showed that institutional promoting forces had significant positive effects on adopting sustainability measures, and institutional impeding forces had significant negative effects. Stakeholder influences were found to have only marginal direct effect on the adoption of sustainability; however, they exert significant influence on institutional promoting forces, thus rendering high total effect (i.e. direct effect plus indirect effect) on the adoption of sustainability. This study suggests that sustainable remediation represents an advanced sustainable practice, which may only be fully endorsed by both internal and external stakeholders after its regulatory, normative and cognitive components are institutionalized. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Organizational assessment in paediatric primary care:Development and initial validation of the primary care organizational questionnaire

Primary care in the United States is undergoing many changes. Reliable and valid instruments are needed to assess the effects of these changes. The Primary Care Organizational Questionnaire (PCOQ), a 56-item 5-point Likert scale survey that evaluates interactions among members of the clinic/practice and job-related attributes, was administered to clinicians and staff in 36 primary care practices serving paediatric populations in Connecticut. A priori scales were reliable (Cronbach alpha =0.7). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed greater heterogeneity across clinics than within clinics for 13 of 15 a priori scales, which were then included in a principal component factor analysis with varimax rotation. Eigenvalue analysis showed nine significant factors, largely similar to the a priori scales, indicating concurrent construct validity. Further research will ascertain the utility of the PCOQ in predicting the effectiveness of primary care practices in implementing disease management programmes. © 2006 Royal Society of Medicine Press.