Effects of continuous improvement on shop-floor employees’ job performance in Lean production: The role of Lean duration

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present empirical findings of the effect of continuous improvement (CI) on shop-floor employees’ job performance in the Lean production system-implemented textile and apparel firms. Design/methodology/approach A random sample of 657 shop-floor employees engaged full-time in Lean production systems-implemented textile and apparel firms in Sri Lanka responded to the survey. Statistical methods were used for data analysis. Findings It was revealed that CI significantly and positively influences shop-floor employees’ job performance, and the duration of Lean production in operations (termed as Lean duration) moderates this relationship. Originality/value Investigations on the ways in which CI initiatives influence employees is important in creating an environment to sustain the improvement efforts over a longer period. Such lessons would be valuable for academics and practitioners alike worldwide.

[1]  Jeffrey B. Arthur,et al.  Effects of human resource systems on manufacturing performance and turnover , 1994 .

[2]  Pär Åhlström,et al.  Assessing changes towards lean production , 1996 .

[3]  J. Colquitt,et al.  Toward an integrative theory of training motivation: a meta-analytic path analysis of 20 years of research. , 2000, The Journal of applied psychology.

[4]  W. A. Shewhart,et al.  Statistical method from the viewpoint of quality control , 1939 .

[5]  Monte Wynder,et al.  Employee Participation in Continuous Improvement Programs: The Interaction Effects of Accounting Information and Control , 2008 .

[6]  Toni L. Doolen,et al.  Critical success factors for the sustainability of Kaizen event human resource outcomes: An empirical study , 2011 .

[7]  S. Parker,et al.  A new model of work role performance: Positive behavior in uncertain and interdependent contexts , 2007 .

[8]  A. Sohal,et al.  Lean Production: Experience among Australian Organizations , 1994 .

[9]  Jörgen Eklund,et al.  Sustainable development of improvement activities--the long-term operation of a suggestion scheme in a Swedish company , 2002 .

[10]  Clas Berling.  Continuous improvement as seen from groups and 'improvement agents' , 2000 .

[11]  J. W. Medcof.  Subsidiary Technology Upgrading and International Technology Transfer, with Reference to China , 2007 .

[12]  S. Lall.  Science and technology in the new global environment : implications for developing countries , 1995 .

[13]  J. Bessant,et al.  High-involvement innovation through continuous improvement , 1997 .

[14]  Elizabeth F Turesky,et al.  Off the rails: understanding the derailment of a lean manufacturing initiative , 2010 .

[15]  Otmar E. Varela,et al.  A General Structure of Job Performance: Evidence from Two Studies , 2010 .

[16]  John Bessant,et al.  Developing strategic continuous improvement capability , 1999 .

[17]  E. Pulakos,et al.  Adaptability in the workplace: development of a taxonomy of adaptive performance. , 2000, The Journal of applied psychology.

[18]  John P. Campbell,et al.  MODELING JOB PERFORMANCE IN A POPULATION OF JOBS , 1990 .

[19]  W. Edwards Deming,et al.  Out of the Crisis , 1982 .

[20]  Danny Samson,et al.  Human resource issues in manufacturing improvement initiatives: Case study experiences in australia , 1993 .

[21]  José Carlos Prado-Prado.  Continuous improvement in the supply chain , 2009 .

[22]  Amrik S. Sohal,et al.  The adoption of continuous improvement and innovation strategies in Australian manufacturing firms , 2000 .

[23]  A. Wilkinson.  Quality and the Human Factor , 2004 .

[24]  Vathsala Wickramasinghe,et al.  Differences in Organizational Factors by Lean Duration , 2011 .

[25]  D. Garvin.  Building a learning organization. , 1993, Harvard business review.

[26]  K. E. Barron,et al.  Testing Moderator and Mediator Effects in Counseling Psychology Research. , 2004 .

[27]  Hongyi Sun,et al.  The relationship among organisational learning, continuous improvement and performance improvement: An evolutionary perspective , 2009 .

[28]  Julie Eatock,et al.  Quality and continuous improvement in medical device manufacturing , 2008 .

[29]  Juan A. Marin-Garcia,et al.  Longitudinal study of the results of continuous improvement in an industrial company , 2008 .

[30]  Jennifer A. Farris,et al.  Development and application of a framework for the design and assessment of a kaizen event program , 2006 .

[31]  S. Parker,et al.  Job and work design , 1998 .

[32]  Shahab Alam Malik,et al.  Execution of Continuous Improvement Practices in Spanish and Pakistani Industry: A Comparative Analysis , 2006, 2006 IEEE International Conference on Management of Innovation and Technology.

[33]  Charles Koeber,et al.  Manufacturing Advantage: Why High-Performance Work Systems Pay off , 1999 .

[34]  Krisztina Demeter,et al.  Factors influencing employee perceptions in lean transformations , 2011 .

[35]  E. Viles,et al.  On the relationship between continuous improvement programmes and their effect on quality defects: An automotive case study , 2012 .

[36]  Toni L. Doolen,et al.  Learning From Less Successful Kaizen Events: A Case Study , 2008 .

[37]  Harry Boer,et al.  CI changes: from suggestion box to organisational learning , 2000 .

[38]  Amrik S. Sohal,et al.  JIT Manufacturing: Industry Analysis and a Methodology for Implementation , 1993 .

[39]  Tahira M. Probst,et al.  The Effect of Consideration of Future Consequences on Quality and Quantity Aspects of Job Performance1 , 2012 .

[40]  M. Shadur,et al.  The relationship among work-related perceptions, employee attitudes, and employee performance: The integral role of communications , 1998 .

[41]  Raymond Robertson,et al.  Sewing success? : employment, wages, and poverty following the end of the multi-fibre arrangement , 2012 .

[42]  Vathsala Wickramasinghe,et al.  Perceived organisational support, job involvement and turnover intention in lean production in Sri Lanka , 2011 .

[43]  James C. Anderson,et al.  STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING IN PRACTICE: A REVIEW AND RECOMMENDED TWO-STEP APPROACH , 1988 .

[44]  M. Lo,et al.  Market orientation, service quality and organizational performance in service organizations in Malaysia , 2011 .

[45]  Vathsala Wickramasinghe,et al.  Effects of perceived organisational support on participation in decision making, affective commitment and job satisfaction in lean production in Sri Lanka , 2012 .