A contingency theoretical perspective to the product‐process matrix

Abstract

Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by 405387 [] For AuthorsIf you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The product-process matrix of Hayes and Wheelwright is widely known for its prescriptive managerial guidance. Yet, most empirical studies have found no support for its performance assertions or have even contradicted them. The purpose of this paper is to propose a contingency theoretical generalization and extension that accommodates both the performance implications of the original model and the best-known departures from it. Design/methodology/approach -The authors test their extended model with survey data from 151 manufacturing plants.Findings -The authors' model extends the process dimension of the original model into a specificity dimension that depends not only on the layout of the process but also on the flexibilities that can be achieved with advanced manufacturing technologies. Similarly, the product dimension, which was operationalized as product variety in the original matrix, is generalized to the complexity of the production task, where product variety is only one element among others. Furthermore, the authors extend the model to accommodate also the dynamism of the task environment. Research limitations/implications -In addition to the testing of the extended model, the study provides openings for further theoretical development. In particular, the findings demonstrate the value of the contingency theoretical concept of suboptimal equifinality to operations management research. Practical implications -The study updates the product-process matrix to match the modern industrial reality and thus enables the continued application of this important operations strategy prescription.Originality/value -The study integrates insights from previous research in operations management and contingency theory into a generalization and extension of the product-process matrix.

It takes two to tango

“…This study also complements previous research testing the volume-variety matrix in the manufacturing context (Ahmad and Schroeder, 2002;Collier and Meyer, 1998;Helkio and Tenhiala, 2013;Safizadeh et al, 1996;Schmenner and Swink, 1998). This is important considering the ever-increasing projectification of society (Geraldi et al, 2011), as the number and importance of major projects continues to grow significantly (Bryde, 2003;Maylor and Turner, 2017).…”

“…Hayes and Wheelwright, 1979). This could potentially provide an explanation for the mixed results of tests of the product-process matrix (Helkio and Tenhiala, 2013;McDermott et al, 1997). Finally, providing explanations for the off-diagonal positions at the component level gives support to the contingency view as opposed to the best practice view, which has strongly dominated operations and project management research (Boer et al, 2015;Geraldi et al, 2011;Ketokivi and Schroeder, 2004).…”

“…The prescriptive value of the matrix is widely established and it has been subjected to numerous tests (e.g. Ahmad and Schroeder, 2002;Helkio and Tenhiala, 2013;Safizadeh et al, 1996;Schmenner and Swink, 1998). The matrix, however, has also been challenged (e.g.…”

“…The matrix, however, has also been challenged (e.g. McDermott et al, 1997), and most empirical studies have found no support for its performance implications (see literature review of Helkio and Tenhiala, 2013). Others emphasize only its descriptive nature (e.g.…”

Uma dinâmica para o ensino da matriz produto-processo: roteiro e aplicação

“…Por esse motivo, a matriz produto-processo continua sendo refinada e permanece como um objeto de pesquisa relevante para a área (HELKIÖ;TENHIÄLÄ, 2013;AHMAD;SCHROEDER, 2002). De igual relevância é a abordagem desse assunto no ensino de graduação em Engenharia de Produção, pois ajuda a desenvolver no graduando o pensamento crítico sobre os sistemas de produção.…”