This two‐part article focuses on the need to ignore the many acronym‐based initiatives and programmes that tend to drive business performance. The author recommends that people must play a critical role in any performance improvement initiative. People should work in an effective team...

Adopts a case‐study approach in examining a manufacturing company in the food machinery business and its fortunes following increased automation. Considers issues such as company organization and culture, focusing particularly on employee participation and the development of Team Selling....

Describes a field experiment conducted in a US automotive parts manufacturing plant to explore the impact of team goal setting, feedback and problem‐solving activities on product defect rates. Two manufacturing cells were randomly selected, with one cell serving as the treatment group and the...

The food service business is a complex one. The food and drink that a restaurant offers form part of their total product and only partially explains why customers choose it. Other reasons may include service, decor and ambience. Although every restaurant needs people to deliver the product and...

The active participation of all personnel is the basis for continuous improvement in companies. This paper describes the main features of systems for channelling such participation, used in a series of companies in the automotive parts industry in the Northwest of Spain. These characteristics...

The case study described in this thesis involves a process improvement project in the Tax Department of a Certified Public Accounting firm. A process map was created by interviewing employees involved in the process. A process analysis identified problems and possible solutions. The Partners in...