Managerial Effectiveness in the Implementation of Quick Response Manufacturing (QRM) to Increase Business Agility

Abstract

Purpose:The competitive and variable business environment forces organizations not only to flexibly adapt to changes, but also to predict them. A desirable capability of an organization is agility, understood as the ease and speed with which companies can reconfigure, redesign and adapt their processes in order to respond to the needs, threats and opportunities. QRM is a management concept that focuses on time as the key factor in competitive manufacturing. The objective of this article is to analyze the effect of QRM implementation on key business agility characteristics. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research methods used to accomplish this goal are literature studies and questionnaire surveys using the agility attributes matrix. Based on literature studies as well as the conducted interviews, a model of the effect of QRM implementation has been developed. Findings: The results obtained show that QRM implementation definitely has an impact on all areas of the company's agility. Practical Implications: The article brings several valuable pieces of information and provides practical tips. The results may be taken advantage of by entrepreneurs. They constitute indications for selecting competition instruments during the crises. Originality/Value: The previous studies on Quick Response Manufacturing (QRM) were conducted in various dimensions, while there is no research linking this method to business agility. It is the first such research.