Suggestion systems

Kaizen is one of the most commonly used words in Japan. It is in the newspapers, on the radio and TV. Japanese society is bombarded daily with statements regarding the Kaizen of almost anything. In business, the concept of Kaizen is so deeply ingrained in the minds of both managers and workers that they often do not even realize that they are thinking Kaizen. It is the key to Japanese competitive success. Because of Japan's success, the Kaizen philosophy has been implemented in organizations around the world as a way to improve production values while also improving employee morale and safety.

Peranan Sistem Informasi (SI) tidak dapat dihindari lagi telah menjadi salah satu elemen penting dalam mendukung proses bisnis di perusahaan. Setiap perusahaan dituntut untuk selalu memperhatikan teknologi yang dimiliki perusahaan secara keseluruhan agar dapat terus mengikuti perubahan dari perkembangan teknologi agar dapat tetap mempertahankan pangsa pasar yang dimilikinya. Penerapan sistem informasi pada sebuah perusahaan/organisasi membutuhkan serangkaian tahapan yang perlu dijalankan agar dapat menciptakan sistem informasi yang benar dan sesuai dengan kebutuhan yang dibutuhkan oleh perusahaan. Oleh karena itu perlu dilakukannya analisis dan desain terlebih dahulu agar dapa mencapai
tujuan tersebut. Beberapa tahapan dalam menganalisis sistem yang dibutuhkan seperti: requirement modelling, data and process modelling, object modelling, dan development strategies. Di mana, setiap tahapan saling mendukung satu sama lain, seperti pada proses requirement modelling yang mengidentifikasi kebutuhan terhadap sistem yang akan dibangun yang kemudian akan dibutuhkan dalam tahapan
data and process modelling untuk menganilisis data dan proses alur data yang dibutuhkan dalam sistem, dan seterusnya. Sehingga hasil yang diharapkan dari sebuah analisis desain sistem adalah terciptanya sebuah sistem yang dapat memenuhi kebutuhan para penggunanya yang disertai dengan prosesur penggunaan yang baik agar dapat menjamin kualitas sistem yang akan digunakan.

Largamente utilizados no contexto dos sistemas de qualidade das empresas, na função principal de envolver os funcionários no processo criativo de propostas de melhorias, os sistemas de sugestões tem ganhado uma nova conotação em empresas que vem desenvolvendo sistemas para gestão da inovação. Esse estudo propõe uma ferramenta gerencial que auxilie gestores na concepção ou melhoria de sistemas de captação de ideias inovadoras nas empresas. Para tal, um levantamento bibliográfico sustenta a elaboração de um quadro de parâmetros que facilita a compreensão e avaliação das dimensões envolvidas nestes tipos de sistemas. Ao final é discutido o potencial de utilização do quadro enquanto ferramenta gerencial nas empresas, suas possibilidades e limitações.

The paper outlines a model of employee participation in suggestion systems that builds on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB; Ajzen, 1991). According to the proposed model, employees’ suggestion-making behavior is primarily explained by TPB’s antecedents. The model was tested by administering a questionnaire to line workers in an automotive plant (Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky Inc.). Participation rates in the suggestion system were assessed three-months after the main data collection. The model was tested using structural equation modelling (SEM). Overall, the findings supported the proposed model. Structural model A, which included the TPB variables only, accounted for 5% of explained variance in participation in the suggestion system and 46% of explained variance in intention to submit suggestions. Structural model B, which considered the indirect effects of other relevant constructs (proactive personality, organizational trust, perceived rewards, and supervisory support for continuous improvement activities) accounted for 4% of explained variance in participation in the suggestion system, 38% of explained variance in intention to submit suggestions, and 29% of explained variance in attitudes toward submitting suggestions.

Administration of organizations in Iran generally is similar with one that uses old management techniques and organizational structures which its roots goes backs to the beginning of 20th century. The functional view and hydraulic structures have caused Iranians organizations with low productivity and cooperation. As result, they are involved with unreasonable and fluctuating level of quality, high finished cost and overheads. On the other hand, substantial and rapid changes in the today’s world, especially in the past two decades in the area of information technology and expert systems have caused major changes in the way of administration, management and organizational leadership. To overcome such difficulties related to the traditional view, improvement methods have been suggested in the management literature. This paper aim to evaluate effects of implementation of such methods on the organizational climate and job attitude from personnel point of view by using a standard questionnaire in a sample production organization. Findings shows that implementation of improvement methods had considerable effect on technical and administrative personnel but very little on the managerial staff.

Resumen-Cooper Standard es una empresa que innova en lugares que menos esperas y aprovechando el avance que hay en la ciencia de los materiales para producir soluciones amigables con el ambiente y componentes automotrices que reducen el peso, las emisiones, a su vez incrementan el diseño y mejoran el desempeño del vehículo para sus clientes. El objetivo general que Cooper Standard quiere alcanzar con la adopción de un sistema de sugerencias es implementar el concepto de mejora continua en cada uno de los colaboradores, para que trabajen en sinergia con la parte administrativa, así su participación permitirá reducir los costos, mejorar y renovar los procesos, eliminar los desperdicios y adaptarse a los cambios que vienen en el futuro. Cada colaborador funge un papel de vital importancia en el sistema de manufactura esbelta. Muchos autores han descrito a los trabajadores como la parte más importante de una empresa, ya que, son el motor que da marcha a las entidades. Pero, no solo son el motor, también son los especialistas en sus actividades, son quienes conocen el equipo y los problemas en la zona de trabajo. A pesar de que el sistema de sugerencias ya estaba implementado, resultaba ineficiente y no estaba generando los resultados esperados. Por esta razón surgió este proyecto. La implementación exitosa de este sistema permitirá que la empresa se enfoque en incrementar la satisfacción del cliente, generar utilidades mayores y sobre todo estructurar un sistema descentralizado que asegure que toda persona, independientemente de su posición en la escala jerárquica pueda transmitir e incluso implementar una propuesta de mejora. Palabras Clave-sistema de sugerencias, mejora continua, kaizen, actividades de valor, value stream mapping, kaizen Blitz, lean manufacturing 6's.