Understanding the main organisational antecedents of employee participation in continuous improvement

Abstract

Purpose Companies use continuous improvement (CI) as a strategy to achieve business excellence and innovation. Yet CI initiatives fail mostly due to a lack of employee engagement. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach Based on the CI literature and the technology acceptance model (TAM), a comprehensive model called continuous improvement acceptance mode (CIAM) was developed to understand the main organisational antecedents that predict employee intention to participate in CI. The CIAM is based on structural equation modelling using partial least squares and it was validated in a large manufacturing plant in Europe. Findings Emulating the findings of the TAM, this study shows that employee intention to participate can be predicted by two variables called ease of participating and usefulness of participating. The CIAM then relates these constructs with relevant CI enablers found in the CI literature. Practical implications The CIAM could help academics and practitioners to better understand employee participation in CI activities, allowing CI systems to be better designed and achieve long-term sustainability. Originality/value The CIAM presents new variables and interactions that help to understand employee participation in CI activities. Some of these variables and interactions have received scant attention in the CI literature and thus they are worth investigating in greater depth in the future.

Structure Please; Continuous Improvement and Employee Consequences in a Dynamic Task Environment

“…In healthcare, the importance of the quality of working life can also be seen as a goal in itself as Bodenheimer and Sinsky [35] stressed, which helps to make jobs workable and sustainable. Positive consequences for the quality of working life may also be a third factor stimulating employees to participate in CI, next to the ease of participating and usefulness of participation [36]. Such positive effects can also be expected when CI is implemented with the explicit aim to improve employees' working conditions [34,37].…”

Co-Governance in Digital Transformation Initiatives: The Roles of Digital Culture and Employee Experience

“…Digital culture measurement model was informed by previous findings on the cultural values of digital transformation [41], [63]. The intention measurement was also adapted from previous studies [17], [48], [64]. The final items are reported in Appendix A.…”

“…Lastly, we define Employee Intention to Participate in Digital Governance as the employees' willingness to participate in establishing roles, accountability, authority for the organization's DT initiatives cf. [48]. Figure 1 illustrates the relationships between these key variables.…”

Do National Values of Culture and Sustainability Influence Direct Employee PDM Levels and Scope? The Search for a European Answer

“…Second, employee participation as an HR practice enables organizations to survive and remain consistent over the long term [44]. The active participation of employees strengthens the organization in the achievement of continuous improvement [45].…”