Pursuing organisational excellence as a key driver in achieving organizational learning

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:Volatility, globalisation, turbulence and constant change are some of the challenges facingthe business environment today. Companies have proposed and tested many strategies tocope with the unpredictable world of business. In this thesis, a project by an anonymousSouth African company (The Company) to respond by improving organisational excellence isanalysed and evaluated against its success in fostering organisational learning.The Company initiated a project in which Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma and ClearLeadership Engagement were combined in search of operational excellence.In Chapter 1, the context is set out. The research question is formulated as follows: to whatextent does organisational learning depend on organisational excellence?Chapter 2 discusses and defines key process concepts. These are: Lean Manufacturing, SixSigma, Lean Six Sigma and Clear Leadership Engagement Models. The chapter also outlinesthe key practices and the shortcomings of each process.Chapter 3 discusses and defines the conceptual building blocks of the thesis. These are thenotions of organisational learning and learning organisation. Tools used to diagnose whetheran organisation is learning are introduced together with an Organisational Learning model tobe used to assess the relationship between Organisational Learning and OperationalExcellence.Chapter 4 focuses on the project of the Company – the Operational Excellence 'journey.How the journey was conceived, the players were involved and steps taken to drive it aredescribed.In Chapter 5, the combination of Lean Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing and the engagementmodels that the Company used, is assessed. The chapter attempts to unravel the reasonsbehind this combination and determine how this combination worked in practice. It is throughthis chapter that an attempt is made to explain the logic of this unusual combination. Otherbusinesses have implemented different forms of improvement in isolation, but it is rare tofind a company that combines operational improvement methodologies with an engagementmodel.In Chapter 6, all the theories and empirical evidence come together. In this chapter, therelationship between Pursuing Operational Excellence (POE) and Organisational Learning istested. The author uses the seven salient characteristics of learning organisations, distilled bythe researcher, to prove the positive relationship between Organisational Learning andOperational Excellence. Through this chapter, the researcher answers the question whether apositive link exists between POE and Organisational Learning.It was clear from the research that there is indeed a positive link between POE andOrganisational Learning. What the research could not determine is the degree or the rate oflearning linked to POE, or what percentage of learning the organisation achieved over aperiod of time.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University