"Cellular Manufacturing for Small Businesses: Key Cultural Factors That Impact the Conversion Process"

Charlene Yauch and Harold Steudel

Journal of Operations Management

2002, 20, pp. 593-617

The authors of this article argue that research on cellular manufacturing has emphasized technical aspects while often ignoring other implementation factors. Eight cultural factors that impact the conversion process are discussed:

1. underorganization—This is the degree to which a company lacks structured systems, policies, and procedures;
2. avoidance—This is defined as the tendency for organizational members to shift responsibility to others and avoid the possibility of being blamed;
3. lack of mutual respect and trust—This situation is said to exist when two groups do not appreciate each other's contributions or believe the others are honest;
4. crisis urgency—This refers to the tendency for organizational members only to hurry when they are facing a crisis; otherwise the pace of work is leisurely and relaxed;
5. complacency—This refers to the extent to which organizational members are satisfied with and accept current methods, practices, and conditions;
6. rigid group boundaries—These exist where organization members have created barriers between distinct groups that make it difficult for people to move between and interact with each other;
7. overemphasis on core activities—This refers to the extent to which organizational members spend their time on necessary routine activities (such as sales, production, shipping, etc.) rather than activities aimed at improving processes or systems; and
8. external customer focus—This describes an organization whose true mission is to satisfy their customers.

The first seven cultural factors have a negative influence on implementation, while the eighth factor has a positive influence.

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