Towards a strategic view of engineering operations

The aim of this article is to introduce a strategic view of engineering operations. The reported research began with developing a theoretical foundation from the literature. Key elements of the theoretical framework and their relations have been enriched and extended through case studies with 28 UK-based engineering organisations. The case studies suggested three essential strategic elements of engineering operations such as (1) a coherent vision of how to compete through engineering, (2) a consistent pattern of decision-making and (3) a contingent fit with the contextual environment. Typical decision frames have been observed around these strategic elements. This article contributes to an improved understanding of operations strategies with engineering cases. The findings will be useful for scholars studying manufacturing and engineering management, as well as for practitioners who are looking for a strategic approach to enhance their engineering performance.

[1]  W Kuemmerle,et al.  Building effective R&D capabilities abroad. , 1997, Harvard business review.

[2]  Kathleen M. Eisenhardt,et al.  Theory Building From Cases: Opportunities And Challenges , 2007 .

[3]  Alfred Dupont Chandler,et al.  战略与结构 : 美国工商企业成长的若干篇章=strategy and structure : chapters in the history of the American industrial enterprise , 1962 .

[4]  Tim Baines,et al.  Evolving forms of manufacturing strategy development: Evidence and implications , 2001 .

[5]  Henry Mintzberg,et al.  The Structuring of Organizations , 1979 .

[6]  Guido Reger,et al.  Coordinating globally dispersed research centers of excellencethe case of Philips Electronics , 2004 .

[7]  Barney Tan,et al.  The Strategic Implications of Web Technologies: A Process Model of How Web Technologies Enhance Organizational Performance , 2010, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management.

[8]  C. K. Prahalad,et al.  Strategic Intent , 2007 .

[9]  Christopher M. McDermott,et al.  Configurations in operations: an emerging area of study , 2000 .

[10]  Blake Ives,et al.  Virtual teams: a review of current literature and directions for future research , 2004, DATB.

[11]  A. Smart.  Operations, Strategy, and Technology: Pursuing the Competitive Edge , 2006 .

[12]  John W. Meyer,et al.  Institutionalized Organizations: Formal Structure as Myth and Ceremony , 1977, American Journal of Sociology.

[13]  Danny Miller,et al.  Environmental Fit Versus Internal Fit , 1992 .

[14]  Sudarsan Rachuri,et al.  Product lifecycle management support: a challenge in supporting product design and manufacturing in a networked economy , 2005 .

[15]  Mary Zey-Ferrell,et al.  Decision making : alternatives to rational choice models , 1992 .

[16]  Mike Gregory,et al.  Managing global network operations along the engineering value chain , 2011 .

[17]  B. V. Koen,et al.  Discussion of the Method : Conducting the Engineer's Approach to Problem Solving , 2003 .

[18]  Mike T. Sweeney,et al.  Towards a Unified Theory of Strategic Manufacturing Management , 1991 .

[19]  David J. Miller,et al.  Configurations of strategy and structure: Towards a synthesis , 1986 .

[20]  M. Porter.  What is strategy , 2000 .

[21]  D. Teece,et al.  DYNAMIC CAPABILITIES AND STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT , 1997 .

[22]  Mike Gregory,et al.  Global engineering networks: The integrating framework and key patterns , 2007 .

[23]  Henry Mintzberg,et al.  Strategy safari : a guided tour through the wilds of strategic management , 1998 .

[24]  Christopher M. McDermott,et al.  Configurations in manufacturing strategy: a review and directions for future research , 1998 .

[25]  A. Tversky,et al.  The framing of decisions and the psychology of choice. , 1981, Science.

[26]  Steve Brown,et al.  The contribution of manufacturing strategy involvement and alignment to world-class manufacturing performance , 2007 .

[27]  Charles R. Schwenk.  Strategic Decision Making , 1995 .

[28]  Simon Minderhoud,et al.  Collaborative engineering: A case study of Concurrent Engineering in a wider context , 1998 .

[29]  Yufeng Zhang,et al.  Global Engineering Networks (GEN): drivers, evolution, configuration, performance and key patterns , 2008 .

[30]  R. E. Miles,et al.  Fit, Failure and the Hall of Fame , 1984 .

[31]  O. Williamson.  Comparative Economic Organization: The Analysis of Discrete Structural Alternatives , 1994 .

[32]  Peter T. Ward,et al.  Configurations of Manufacturing Strategy, Business Strategy, Environment and Structure , 1996 .

[33]  Günther Schuh,et al.  A SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION OF COLLABORATIVE ENGINEERING , 2007 .

[34]  A. Pettigrew.  The Character and Significance of Strategy Process Research , 1992 .

[35]  Clayton M. Christensen,et al.  The Process of Building Theory , 2001 .

[36]  A. Roth,et al.  A taxonomy of manufacturing strategies , 1994 .

[37]  Craig C. Lundberg,et al.  Organizational Decision Making. , 1968 .

[38]  Henry Mintzberg.  Patterns in Strategy Formation , 1978, International Studies of Management & Organization.

[39]  H. Chesbrough.  The Era of Open Innovation , 2003 .

[40]  C. Prahalad,et al.  To revitalize corporate performance, we need a whole new model of strategy. Strategic intent. , 1989, Harvard business review.

[41]  W. Boulton,et al.  Innovation‐oriented operations strategy typology and stage‐based model , 2008 .

[42]  Steven Eppinger,et al.  The new practice of global product development , 2007, IEEE Engineering Management Review.

[43]  S. Wheelwright,et al.  Restoring Our Competitive Edge: Competing Through Manufacturing , 1984 .

[44]  Ivo Zander,et al.  How do you mean `global'? An empirical investigation of innovation networks in the multinational corporation , 1999 .

[45]  William J. Lannes,et al.  Engineering Management , 1997, IEEE Potentials.

[46]  R. Boutellier,et al.  Organizing global R&D: challenges and dilemmas , 2004 .

[47]  Steve Evans,et al.  Succeeding through service innovation : a service perspective for education, research, business and government , 2008 .

[48]  S. Evans,et al.  Towards a sustainable industrial system: With recommendations for education, research, industry and policy , 2009 .

[49]  Hilary Radnor,et al.  Researching your professional practice : doing interpretive research , 2001 .

[50]  Jack R. Meredith,et al.  Building operations management theory through case and field research , 1998 .

[51]  J. Birkinshaw,et al.  Managing knowledge in global service firms: Centers of excellence , 1998 .

[52]  Christopher A. Voss,et al.  Alternative paradigms for manufacturing strategy , 1995 .

[53]  R. Sullivan,et al.  From operations to strategy , 2012 .

[54]  Mei Li,et al.  Qualitative case studies in operations management: Trends, research outcomes, and future research implications , 2011 .

[55]  M. Hosein Fallah,et al.  Global innovation performance: Strategic challenges for multinational corporations , 2008 .

[56]  Henry Mintzberg,et al.  The rise and fall of strategic planning : reconceiving roles for planning, plans, planners , 1994 .

[57]  Mikko Ketokivi,et al.  Elaborating the Contingency Theory of Organizations: The Case of Manufacturing Flexibility Strategies , 2006 .

[58]  Ken Platts,et al.  A Process Approach to Researching Manufacturing Strategy , 1993 .

[59]  Sudarsan Rachuri,et al.  Product lifecycle management support: a challenge in supporting product design and manufacturing in a networked economy , 2005 .

[60]  Christopher A. Voss,et al.  Contingency research in operations management practices , 2008 .

[61]  John Mills,et al.  A framework for the design of manufacturing strategy processes , 1995 .

[62]  K. L. Edwards.  Concurrent engineering: What's working where , 1996 .

[63]  Robert Aunger,et al.  Types of technology , 2010 .

[64]  R. Duncan.  Characteristics of Organizational Environments and Perceived Environmental Uncertainty. , 1972 .

[65]  Constance E. Helfat,et al.  The dynamic resource-based view: capability lifecycles , 2003 .

[66]  M. Porter.  Towards a dynamic theory of strategy , 1991 .