Quick Response Manufacturing (QRM) techniques enable manufacturers to gain a competitive advantage by providing customers with fast response. Successfully implementing QRM has a tremendous impact on how a company operates, but the existing organizational culture can be a strong barrier to change. Two exploratory case studies were conducted, one with a thermoforming department and one with a producer of beverage dispensing equipment. Each company conducted a cellular manufacturing (CM) conversion project using a QRM approach. Through qualitative analysis of the two cases, seven cultural norms were identified that hinder the CM conversion process. In this paper the impact of these cultural norms on the fifteen-step QRM implementation process is evaluated, directions for further research are proposed, and suggestions for overcoming the negative influence of culture are provided.
| Number of Pages : | 20 |
| Published : | 11/01/2000 |
