Technovation, 17(4)(1997) 199-206

Pergamon © 1997 ElsevierScienceLtd

All rights reserved. Printed in Great Britain
0166-4972/97 $17.00 + 0.00

Integrating continuous
improvement and innovation into a
corporate culture: a case study
Zahir Irani and John M. Sharp
Research Institute for Design, Manufacture and Marketing, University of Salford, Salford
M5 4WT, UK

Abstract
Continuous improvement, as the name implies, adopts an approach to
improving organisational performance, with small incremental steps, over
time. In this approach, it is not the size of each step which is important but
the likelihood that the improvements will be ongoing. Many companies are
now complementing continuous improvement with innovation, which is seen
as the successful exploitation of new ideas, and there appears to be a clear
synergy between these two philosophies when integrated under an
appropriate corporate culture. In this paper, the authors describe a case
study of a small~medium subcontract jobbing shop situated in the industrial
heart of North West England. The paper explains how, despite considerable
setbacks and hardship, the company managed to keep its continuous
improvement ideas and 'best practice' beliefs intact throughout the UK
recession of the early 1990s. The paper goes on to describe the corporate
culture within which an approach to continuous improvement and innovation
has allowed the entire workforce to continue their quest for total quality.
© 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd

1_ INTRODUCTION istic of many market leaders, and is not simply limited

In today's competitive environment quality is seen
as one of the keys to an organisation's success and
survival. In order to compete effectively, organis-
ations must embrace the principles of total quality
management (TQM) and incorporate them into all of
their organisational processes. TQM calls for continu-
ous improvement - - a never-ending philosophy of
change for the better. More recently, many proactive
forward-thinking companies are adding new di-
mensions to their pursuit of TQM, which is being
achieved through innovation.
Innovation is proving to be an essential character-
to new product or process development but can be
applied to all aspects of business operations and man-
agement. Many innovative companies appear to be
focusing their efforts on developing new markets,
rapid product development, business process re-
engineering, growth and profitability. Thus, compa-
nies planning for their future prosperity must be flex-
ible and willing to accept change as inevitable and
even desirable (Madu et al., 1996). During the last
decade there has been growing interest in the concepts
of continuous improvement and innovation, with
many companies arriving at these philosophies from
a number of different directions. For example, some

PII: S0166-4r/2(96)001.03-4 TedmovaUonVol.17 No. 4 199

Z. Irani and J.M. Sharp
organisations have introduced these principles as part
of their TQM initiative; in others, it has followed an
adoption of lean manufacturing concepts; while some
organisations are using them as tools to increase
employee involvement through empowerment and
teamwork.
In this paper, the authors report on a case study of
a subcontract jobbing shop, and describe the efforts
made by the entire workforce in their pursuit of TQM.
The paper goes on to describe how the company man-
aged to embrace the principles of continuous
improvement and innovation, through the develop-
ment of an integrated corporate culture that clearly
facilitates change.
2. A DYNAMICJOBBINGSHOP
Velden Engineering (UK) Ltd is a dynamic,
ambitious, private limited company, with 'best prac-
tice' ideals and world-class aspirations. Velden's core
business is precision subcontract engineering, which
primarily involves manufacturing a wide variety of
parts, products and assemblies for a large number of
customers in diverse industries. This sector of the
engineering industry has traditionally adhered to the
simultaneous change in needs of their many cus-
tomers.
Subcontract jobbing shops such as Velden sell time
and expertise on a variety of conventional and com-
puter controlled machines. This primarily involves a
'make to order' inventory policy, with most parts hav-
ing a very low level of standardisation and therefore
few common components. However, to produce these
differing and often complex parts a highly flexible
production capability is required, which implies ver-
satile manufacturing equipment, flexible employees
and a genuine need to continuously improve in order
to remain competitive. Typical components and
assemblies within a jobbing shop environment tend to
be diverse, and have uncomplicated bills of material
(BOM) and product structures. Furthermore, they are
nearly always made to specifications supplied by the
original equipment manufacturer (OEM). Product
volumes tend to be small and erratic, since they often
depend on the need of customers to off-load capacity
or to place orders for specialist requirements, e.g.
breakdowns. Product change is always customer
driven, and close links between the manufacturer and
customer help to reduce the consequence of change.
Manufacturing lead times tend to be short and product
change, if managed properly, can be prevented from
seriously affecting throughput production flow. If the
customer or marketplace requirements change, the
200 Tedlnovaf~nVol.17No.4
ability of a jobbing shop manufacturer to quickly re-
tool or re-equip its production facility establishes the
responsiveness of the organisation, and its ultimate
survival (Inness, 1994).
Velden's key processes are schematically mapped
in flowchart format, and are represented in Fig. I.
This flowchart represents all key activities carried out
in the organisation and provides a top level analysis
of possible improvement areas. Furthermore, pro-
cesses are considered by those at Velden to be generic
to 'best practice' subcontract engineering, and this has
allowed Velden to identify non-value adding activities
and remove them from the internal/external supply
chain, thus resulting in an environment of continuous
business process re-engineering (Burlton, 1995; Har-
mon, 1995).
The company was formed in 1973 and, although
part-time, developed into a thriving engineering con-
cern supplying many local companies. By 1976, the
partners realised the opportunity for expansion and
growth and re-sited the business into a small unit on
the current site. After approximately ten years of trad-
ing as a partnership Velden became limited in 1984,
and was employing 50 people. Five years later, the
company achieved a significant milestone and took
on its 100th employee. The directors had the foresight
to recognise that quality would be one of the major
hallmarks of the 1980s, and took the opportunity pro-
vided by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)
to achieve certification to the British Standards for
Quality (British Standards Institution, 1987). This was
approved, and resulted in Velden becoming the first
UK subcontract jobbing shop to gain accreditation to
British Standard 5750 Part 2, ISO 9002, in October
1987 (Kitchen, 1989).
Velden's early exposure to 'best practice' provided
it with a solid foundation built on world-class manu-
facturing beliefs, together with a dedication to meet
and exceed customer expectations. The synergy
between 'best practice' and 'motivated employees'
resulted in a workforce capable of generating new and
innovative ideas (Kraft, 1990). The company con-
tinued to grow and remained consistent with business
plans (strategic and financial) whilst also recognising
the need to complement the traditional 'famine and
feast' of subcontract engineering with its 'own' pro-
ducts (Irani et al., 1996). This would not only help
balance subcontract capacity fluctuations but also pre-
vent an overdependency on subcontract work. This
resulted in an early attempt by Velden to develop its
own product (Kitchen and Irani, 1995). However,
these early strategic moves to reposition itself in the
market place were not welcomed by the firm's large
 IntegraUng conlJnuousimprovement and innovation

.~ Re4
I enq

i Contract Review
stage I - Accept I
reject job.

JEnter order on
I sales order ~ r 1 ~ Ongoing ~ quotlng end
i processing. Enter In MRP II contract rote reason.
production review
i Requote estimate end plan control system
new jobs on production
L planning system. Yes

i "
Order materiel In good _~ Receive ./ -- Launch job at
tlme on JR" Imsls. ~ best time for
~roughput
Fln81 roductlon flow.
inspection Complete
Ops/Process
as
\ Necessary j
~ checks, j

in eccordance
wlth company
Pack end I
process Best Practice.
protect.

delivery /
advice note.
approved

i..-I
,.~ Jcompleted jobs i Review job
OXCU808
I -I I

l)
periodically.
I I FOLLOW UP I FOLLOW UP
Deliver to I Get paid. ~J I I
Customer. (
Stop

Fig. 1. Key processes in subcontract manufacturing.

OEM customers for fear of reduced priority and poss-
ible long-term shift in Velden's core business. These
factors, together with the market demand for spare
capacity at the time, forced Velden to put its early
ambitions of developing its own product on the
'back burner'.
The 'boom' period being experienced during the
mid to late 1980s provided Velden with an environ-
ment for achieving month-on-month success. How-
ever, this period of sustained stability was shattered
overnight by the recession of the early 1990s.
Although Velden had sailed through previous down-
turns, the resulting impact of this recession was
tremendous, with long-term schedule orders being
cancelled overnight, thus forcing order-book and turn-
over levels to plummet. Furthermore, Velden's pos-
ition appeared even worse because of its relentless
efforts to manage and maintain a realistic master pro-
duction schedule (Jeffreys, 1989; Kitchen, 1989); i.e.,

TedumadJmVel.17No.4 201
Z. Irani and J.M. Sharp
as a result of its 'best practice' efforts the firm had
few overdues and therefore no backlog order situation
to cushion the impending fall (Kitchen and Irani,
1995).
With a clear emphasis on survival, considerable
effort was made by the entire workforce to reduce
operating costs and eliminate any wasteful activities.
However, trading conditions deteriorated, and the
board of directors began to express their nervousness
and anxiety. Furthermore, the bank was beginning to
lose confidence. With 'innovate or liquidate' ringing
in everyone's ears and on very limited resources, the
Velden team identified a niche market and refined
earlier attempts at developing its own product. Within
a three-month period, Velden managed to success-
fully design, manufacture and launch a number of golf
and leisure vehicles into the market place (Irani et al.,
1996). Employee dedication and enthusiasm con-
tinued to develop, and was channelled through self-
directed work teams (Benson et al., 1994; Coleman
et al., 1993). Such initiatives significantly contributed
towards the successful development of highly innov-
ative products (Kitchen and Irani, 1995).
As a result of the success of the new product, the
golf part of the business subsequently proved itself
by generating more sales (turnover) than Velden's
previously largest subcontract customer. This was
clearly a milestone in the development of an emerging
lucrative business.
3. A CULTUREBASEDON CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
ANDINNOVATION
Velden remains a privately owned company whose
radical ideas on employee empowerment and the
implementation of continuous improvement makes it
stand out from the crowd. It appears to be ahead of
the competition in many ways, especially when
benchmarked against traditional British subcontract
companies (Hobson, 1993). The evidence is that
Velden is an award-winning 'Inside (UK) Enterprise
Demonstration Company' for the Department of
Trade and Industry (Department of Trade and Indus-
try, 1993) and was described as an 'exemplar com-
pany' when awarded 'Investors in People' status
(Donnelly, 1995).
Velden's culture and philosophy is one that has
been nurtured and developed over the last 20 years
and has not needed to undergo any major 'cultural
changes'. However, it has not been without its prob-
lems and sceptics. Culture in any company is the
underlying belief that pervades the organisation about
202 TechnovaSonVoL17No.4
how business should be conducted, and about how
employees should behave and be treated (Oakland,
1994). Velden's cultural framework includes its guid-
ing philosophy and core values and beliefs, which are
all combined into a mission statement. This public
commitment provides a vivid description of what the
organisation will be like when true success has been
achieved. The mission statement should act as a con-
cise development from core values and beliefs, and
should convey what the organisation's role in society
is. Velden's mission statement clearly translates its
philosophy into tangible goals that will move the
organisation forward and make it perform to its opti-
mum. The company's mission is to "survive, expand,
and prosper by developing people to provide a pro-
fessional, responsive, efficient, green, total quality
service, with absolute commitment to customer first".
The company's guiding philosophy forms an inte-
gral part of its culture, and drives the organisation
forward. This is subsequently shaped by the leaders
within Velden through their thoughts and actions. The
company culture reflects the vision of the organisation
rather than that of a single leader, and has evolved
over time, although core elements have been main-
tained. The company's core values and beliefs rep-
resent the organisation's basic principles, about what
is important in business, its conduct, its social
responsibility and its response to changes in today's
competitive environment. It acts as a guiding force,
with clear and authentic values which are focused on
employees, suppliers, customers, society at large and
stake holders.
The success of Velden's corporate culture can be
attributed to a number of key enablers (Irani, 1995)
which have proven to be 'ingredients for success' in
both Velden's core and non-core business activities.
Continuous improvement and innovation form the
genesis of these enablers. In addition, a modern hori-
zontal management style, open culture and empow-
ered workforce all facilitate the search for continuous
improvements and promote innovation. These
improvement initiatives cover everyday activities, not
only to products and processes but to the quality of
service, procedures and customer/supplier relation-
ships, adding substance to Velden's commitment to
making 'Quality a way of life'.
As a result of Velden's continued persistence in
striving towards TQM, the firm has developed a con-
tinuous improvement procedure which provides a
step-by-step guide to ensure that all employees carry
out all improvement initiatives in a way consistent
with core values and beliefs held within the company.
This procedure is schematically detailed in Fig. 2 and
 IntegraSngcontinuousimprovementand innovaSon

~ y Go-Ahead
Brainstorm Po~dbillties. I _ ell ..._ Corn/out
Select beet ideas for ~ Imo-m~nnant ~ ~ simple m a l l
first stdke. I ~r- ....... 7 - low cost
r - .... ~ improvements
Discuss major innovations / I . -; - . on your own
' coange at a
Ideas with Management / I i cn..a _ . and team
Directom. Consider 5M'e - ~ I , time. l e s t Inltla~lva.
~ m a n machine, matedal -- ; results .bef..ore !
method mlnuWs ' making lurmer |

' If possible let the parson who made the suggestion ,, /

', be involved in the development of the idea. ' _%
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . r . . . . . . . . . . ' Action
~.~'~fo;';~jj~)'~ t O ' ~ . ~ a p i Plan the Project and | -- DO
go ahead J I establish Priorities . . . . . . . "-_ Check
/ I Critical path etc,. ', Try to ' --
NO ' r , , encourage , |
- I I .nther.scnswh, not : ,-,.her I
properly to people concemed. , improvement ~ /
i Try to e , ~ . o m ~ f.rt~,r k~,ee. , ideas. :l t
Follow-Up
~OTE Follow-Up
Ask yourself and the team what can
Follow-Up

II
be improved. 'Even if it 'alnt broke or working well,
con you suggest improvements'. Con you or the
team improve
anything else.

Fig. 2. Velden's continuous improvement process.

represents part of Velden' s strategic approach towards Most businesses today are faced with intensifying
the standardisation of all key processes, and has sub- competitive pressures. The demand for customised
sequently resulted in the development of over 200 solutions, fast delivery and 'sound' environmental
flowcharts. performance - - all in a global market - - is becoming
increasingly sophisticated and is growing rapidly. To
Although Velden has demonstrated its innovative ensure survival and continued prosperity, businesses
ability to develop its 'own' new products, it continu- must meet these challenges by providing a constant
ously searches for never-ending improvements both stream of new and improved products, advanced pro-
within its golf and its subcontract business (Imai, cesses and better customer services (Cooper and
1986; Inurritegui et al., 1995). This inevitably means Kleinschmidt, 1995; Griffin et al., 1995). This can be
that the pace of change at Velden is extremely fast. achieved through continuous improvement and

TechnovationVd. 17 No. 4 2 0 3
Z. Irani and J.M. Sharp
innovation. However, these processes are ripe with
uncertainty (Wilemon and Barczak, 1991).
Innovation is not a new concept and is not synony-
mous with invention, although invention may be part
of the innovation process. It is synonymous with the
good management of all the company functions. It is
a dynamic process and should be an essential part of
any business strategy and everyday practice. The
Board Room Report (April 1993) suggests that innov-
ating firms tend to have a larger market share, higher
growth rates and profit, than non-innovators. Further-
more, a link has been demonstrated between R&D
expenditure and subsequent sales revenue relative to
those of its competitors (Irani, 1995). In today's
highly competitive market, delighting customers is
most important (Griffin et al., 1995). Markets for pro-
ducts are now characterised by a far greater ability to
'shop around' and choose preferred suppliers. This
applies whether the buyer is an individual customer,
a small business or a major enterprise. As a conse-
quence, the requirement for a business to be competi-
tive and satisfy its customers as well as or better than
its rivals is fundamental to the success and growth of
the business, resulting in the need to 'innovate' or
face the alternative, 'liquidate'.
Continuous improvement and innovation are at the
very heart of Velden's competitiveness. These stra-
tegies are used as a means of achieving and sustaining
its competitive edge, and form part of the overall
company culture and philosophy (Bates et al., 1995;
Griffin et al., 1995). Furthermore, continuous
improvement and innovation have helped to enable
complex engineering problems to be solved in Veld-
en's core business of subcontract precision engineer-
ing. The very nature of subcontract precision engin-
eering involves the manufacture of components that
are often too complex, specialised or cannot be com-
petitively made 'in-house' by the large OEMs, and
are therefore subcontracted out to the jobbing shops.
As a result, it is often those jobbing shops, such as
Velden, that have to be innovative in their manufac-
turing processes in order to competitively manufac-
ture the required parts.
Continuous improvement and innovation are con-
sidered to be the 'life-blood' of many competitive
organisations, and there is nothing so stultifying to
those companies - - or to the people in them - - as a
belief that the old ways must be the best ways. An
organisation that tries to stand still may not survive.
These methodologies require a blend of creativity,
clear thinking, and the ability to get things done. They
require thinkers and doers to work closely together
(Armstrong, 1989). Such an environment has been
204 TedlnovaSonVoL17No.4
created within Velden and forms an integral part of
the company culture. The success of Velden's
approach to continuous improvement and innovation
has depended a great deal on both the characteristics
of the individuals employed within the company and
the operational climate created within the organis-
ation. These factors ultimately reflect the corporate
culture. These contributing factors are summarised
below.
3.1 Individualcharacterislics
Individual characteristics which encourage inno-
vation and continuous improvement include:
• a clear initial view of the results desired - - the
ability to clearly define the aims and benefits of the
project being considered;
• the ability to get support not only from manage-
ment but also from colleagues - - there is a need
to build a coalition in which everyone shares equ-
ally in the belief that the project is worthwhile;
• courageous employees - - taking calculated risks
when setbacks occur;
• the ability to handle interference or opposition to
the project - - resistance can be open but it often
takes a passive or covert form: criticism of the
plans, 'foot dragging', late responses to questions,
or arguments over allocation of time and resources
amongst projects; covert resistance can be the
most dangerous;
• leaders who are good at getting people into
action - - to mobilise and contribute fully to the
project by using a participative management style;
• the force of character to maintain the momentum
of the project, especially after the initial enthusiasm
for it has waned.
3.20rganisaUonal characteristics
Organisational characteristics which encourage
innovation and continuous improvement include:
• a free flow of information which allows managers
to find ideas in unexpected places and pushes them
to combine fragments of information;
• close and frequent contact between work sections,
and an emphasis on lateral as well as vertical
relationships;
• a tradition of working in teams and sharing credit;
• managers who believe in innovation and provide
the necessary resources and support;
• managers who make time available for innovation.

4. CONCLUSIONS
Velden has clearly benefited from the long-term
visionary actions of its management team, who
embraced the underlying philosophy of TQM back in
the 1980s. These early efforts to lead, motivate and
coach the entire workforce into adopting the prin-
ciples of innovation and continuous improvement
appear to have paid off, with new ideas to improve
the organisation at a strategic, tactical and operational
level not only encouraged but implemented. However,
although these concepts are simple, operationalising
them and keeping the momentum going until it
becomes part of the company culture is far from easy.
The successful adoption of innovation and continuous
improvement involves a complex system of inter-
related subsystems and processes, which need manag-
ing effectively in order to maximise benefits.
Innovation and continuous improvement are
attractive approaches that have much to offer organis-
ations, and are clear philosophies that instigate
change. Those companies that adopt these approaches
may be in a better position to react to dramatic
changes in their competitive markets and therefore
reap the benefits over their competition, thus resulting
in success and growth. However, those that do not
may find it increasingly difficult to compete in today's
competitive international arena.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the support
provided during this project from Mr A. Kitchen of
Velden Engineering (UK) Ltd, and Mr S. McKenna
and Mr R. Platt, of the Teaching Company Centre,
Trafford Park Manufacturing Institute.
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206 vd. 17No.4
Zahir Irani has a BEng(Hons) in Manufac-
turing Engineering and an MPhil in the area
of new product introduction, from the Uni-
versity of Salford in the UK. Since leaving
Velden Engineering (UK) Ltd. where he
worked for a number of years as a project
engineer, he joined Brnnel University and is
now undertaking a PhD in the area of
MRPII justification.
Although Zahir is now working within an
academic environment, he has retained close
links with industry, where he undertakes a
number of consultancy roles and operates as a non-executive director
at Velden Engineering (UK) Ltd. Zahir has a number of research inter-
ests in the area of 'business performance improvement' with respect to
continuous improvement, innovation, human resource and new product
introduction. He has published in a number of refereed journals and
spoken at conferences.
John Sharp is a senior lecturer in the
Department of Aeronautical, Mechanical
and Manufacturing Engineering at the
University of Salford, UK. He carried out an
apprenticeship with Rolls-Royce Aero
Engines, after which he completed a thin
sandwich BEng(Hons) degree in Mechanical
Engineering at Bradford University. This
was followed by an industrial PhD in high
speed textile machinery. He then joined
Unilever, where he was a manager respon-
sible for introducing new technology and
manufacturing systems into Unilever operating companies.
Dr Sharp has been at the University of Salford for the past eight
years and teaches manufacturing management subjects. He is a mem-
ber of the "Design, Manufacturing and Marketing" Research Institute
at the University of Salford, and his research interests cover the area
of 'improving manufacturing business performance" with respect to
quality processes such as new product introduction, continuous
improvement and maintenance management.

kehrungen for effektive Projektleitung und Lernsy-
steme. Die Fachliteratur enth~ilt jedoch recht wenig
zur Frage der Einftihrung: wie kann eine bestimmte
Organisation die notwendigen Verhaltensmuster und
die begleitenden Strukturen und Verfahren, die
notwendig sind, um NPD mit guter Praktik einsetzbar
und effektiv fiar sie zu machen, artikulieren und ver-
ankern?
In dieser Arbeit pr~isentieren wir die Fallstudie
einer Elektronikfirma, die eine neues NPD System
entwickelt und einftihrt. Wir konzentrieren uns
insbesondere auf die organisatorischen Entwicklungs-
verfahren, die zur Einftihrung und Entwicklung des
Eigentumsrechts des Systems notwendig sind. Die
Arbeit schliel3t mit einigen Kommentaren zur Ober-
tragung dieses Ansatzes auf andere Organisationen
und zu Forschungsaspekten, die durch diese Erfah-
rung entstehen, ab. © 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd
La implementaciGn del proceso de desarrollo de un
producto nuevo
Resumen
Las publicaciones acerca del desarrollo de los pro-
ductos nuevos (NPD) hablan mucho de los antepro-
yectos para sistemas mzis eficaces de administraci6n
del proceso. Entre los aspectos del patr6n resultante
de buena pr~ictica en NPD se encuentran el trabajo en
equipos interfuncionales, el involucramiento desde el
primer momento posible, la efectividad de la adminis-
traci6n del proyecto y los sistemas de formaci6n. Sin
embargo, existe muy poco escrito referente a la cues-
ti6n de la implementaci6n, c6mo una empresa en
particular puede articular y arraigar los patrones nece-
sarios de comportamiento y dem~is estructuras acom-
pafiantes y los procesos necesarios para hacer que la
buena pr~ictica NPD le funcione.
En este articulo se comenta un estudio de caso de
una empresa de electr6nica en el disefio y la
implementaci6n de una sistema nuevo de NPD. Se
hace hincapi6 especial en los procesos de desarrollo
organizacional necesarios para implementar y desar-
rollar la propriedad intelectual del sistema. E1 artfculo
termina con algunos comentarios referentes a la trans-
ferencia de este enfoque a otras organizaciones y
acerca de los fireas de investigaci6n que surgen de
esta experiencia. © 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd
Integratng conUnuousimprovementand
innovaHon into a corporate culture: a
case study
Zahir Irani and John M. Sharp
Technovation 17 (4)(1997), 199-206
TRANSLAllONSOF ABSTRACTS
Int~ration de I'amGiioration et de I'innovation con-
tinues dans la culture de rentreprise: Une 6tude de cas
R~sum~
L'am61ioration continue, comme son nom l'in-
dique, adopte une approche dont le but est d'am61iorer
les performances organisationnelles, grfice a de petits
incr6ments sur une longue p6riode. Dans cette appro-
che, ce n'est pas la taille de l'incr6ment qui est
importante, mais la vraisemblance que ces am61ior-
ations continueront. Un grand nombre d'entreprises
compl6tent l'am61ioration continue avec de l'innov-
ation, qui est consid6r6e comme l'exploitation r6ussie
des id6es nouvelles, et qui appara~t clairement comme
la synergie entre ces deux philosophies, lorsqu'elle
est int6gr6e dans la culture d'entreprise ad6quate.
Dans ce papier, l'auteur d6crit une 6tude de cas sur
un petit artisan du nord ouest de l'Angleterre, et d6crit
comment son entreprise a r6ussi, malgr6 des revers
de fortune et des p6riodes difficiles a garder intactes
ses id6es et sa foi en l'am61ioration continue et la
meilleure pratique tout au long de la r6cession qui a
frapp6 le Royaume-Uni au d6but des ann6es 90. Le
papier continue en d6crivant la culture d'entreprise
au sein de laquelle une approache de l'am61ioration
continue et de l'innovation a permis ~ l'ensemble du
personnel d'aller plus loin dans leur qu~te pour la
qualit6 totale. © 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd
Intep'ation von ste~er Verbesserung und Innovation
in eine Unternehmenskultur.eine Fallstudie
Abriss
Stetige Verbesserung vertritt, wie der Name schon
andeutet, einen Ansatz zur Verbesserung der Leistung
eines Unternehmens in kleinen Schritten tiber einen
l~ingeren Zeitraum. Bei diesem Ansatz ist es nicht die
Grtil3e jeden Schritts, die entscheidend ist, sondern die
Wahrscheinlichkeit, dab die Verbesserungen
andauern und fortgesetzt werden. Viele Unternehmen
erg~ifizen inzwischen ihre stetige Verbesserung mit
Innovation, da dies als erfolgreiche Aussch6pfung
neuer Ideen betrachtet wird u n d e s eine deutliche
Synergie zwischen diesen beiden Philosophien zu
geben scheint, sofern sie in eine angemessene Unter-
nehmenskultur integriert werden. In dieser Arbeit
beschreiben die Autoren die Fallstudie einer
kleinen/mittelgroBen Werkstatt fur Einzelauftr~ige im
industriellen Herzen Nordwestenglands. Wir erkl~en
in der Arbeit, wie die Firma es schaffte, trotz betr~icht-
licher Rtickschl~ige und Harte ihre Ideen zur stetigen
Verbesserung und ihren Glauben an beste Praktiken
w~ahrend der UK Rezession Anfang der 90er Jahre
aufrechtzuerhalten. Die Arbeit beschreibt weiterhin
Technova~ Vol.17k 4