Organization of a continuous improvement system in production companies
Organization of a continuous improvement system in production companies
Purpose – The use of continuous improvement (CI) is closely related to the adopted management concept, which implies its importance and the level of application of specific improvement practices. The aim of the article is to: 1) define the level of importance of the applied improvement principles and values 2) indicate the application level regarding key improvement practices 3) indicate organizational solutions constituting a CI system used in manufacturing companies operating in Poland.
Design/methodology/approach – The research consisted of two parts. The first part was conducted with the use of literature analysis which allowed for the development of the questionnaire. The second part of study was carried out with the quantitative method using the telephone interview technique. 70 manufacturing companies operating in Poland participated in the study.
Findings – The article presents the results of the questionnaire research. The conducted research shows that CI, understood as a principle implemented within the framework of quality management, plays an important role in the development of the surveyed production companies. Particularly important practices include introducing the goals and tasks of continuous improvement into the company’s business strategy and implementing them at lower levels of the organizational structure. Organizational units dedicated to conducting activities related to CI. The article also discusses their role and the level of application of tools initiating improvement activities.
Research limitations/implications- The limitation of the conducted research is the fact that it was conducted on a sample of 70 companies operating in Poland.
Originality/value – The presented issues have not previously been the subject of empirical research conducted among manufacturing companies operating in Poland. This will allow to indicate the current state and the direction of development of this approach.
Paper type: Research paper
continuous improvement (CI), quality management, continuous improvement practices.
