Organisational effectiveness and upward communication: a study of selective automobile firms in India

Mapping the organizational factors that support knowledge management in the Brazilian automotive industry

“…The vision of ''organization as machine'' becomes increasingly outdated when it aims to study a form of management that provides the constant acquisition and distribution of knowledge. The automotive industry is a sector characterized by parties responsible for performing continuous improvements in its processes, also called the Japanese term kaizen (Raina and Pillania, 2008). Thus, the KM depends on the social context founded by teamwork -groups that share ideas and competences (Brown and Duguid, 1991;Orlikowski, 2002) -that promote continuous learning of individuals.…”

“…Automotive sector organizations lead their employees to work in groups, promoting the constant exchange of knowledge. Problem solving and incremental improvements actions are learning mechanisms and should be supported by organizational culture and structure that promotes a sense cooperative and facilitates the interaction between individuals (Raina and Pillania, 2008;Scott, 2003).…”

“…Regarding organizational knowledge, Teece (2007), Teece et al (1997) and Zollo and Winter (2002), argue that organizations evolve through their learning abilities. Automotive sector organizations learn and acquire knowledge through their routines and repositories, taking advantage of the power of cognition and articulation of knowledge by individuals (Raina and Pillania, 2008). Organizations develop over time a primary knowledge base that facilitates the absorption of new knowledge (Grant, 1996).…”

“…Teamwork is a key feature of the most modern forms of work organization, such as lean manufacturing and semi-autonomous groups (Raina and Pillania, 2008). There are different projects for group work, for example, while in lean manufacturing, the group concept is focused on operating procedures and well-defined hierarchy with strict supervision; in the semi-autonomous groups, which is based on a socio-technical model, there is some degree of autonomy in choosing the best method of work, and a leaner hierarchy (Schuring, 1997;Raina and Pillania (2008). London and Sessa (2007) in a study regarding the maturity of working groups, state that individuals in immature or non-integrated groups maintain different viewpoints, each working and learning on their own, often without any involvement with the group.…”

Investigating the implications of business and culture on the behaviour of customers of international firms

“…This change in the business environment has not been smooth nor is it anticipated to get easier for both international and local firms as both types of firms face challenges in working with each other (Child & Tse, 2001). The challenges faced by international firms are different in different markets (Shocker, Srivastava, & Reukert, 1994;Zhou, Yim, & Tse, 2005) as every country has its own individual identity and specific cultural characteristics (Dana & Wright, 2009;Ferguson, 1998;Raina & Pillania, 2008). Entry into emerging BRIC markets provides international firms with opportunities for growth by offering territories that have not yet been explored, concurrently stimulating individual challenges (Gruber, 2003;Luo, 2000).…”