A process approach to effectiveness and efficiency of improvement interventions in small manufacturing enterprises

This research explores and measures the effectiveness and efficiency of improvement interventions in small manufacturing enterprises with respect to production processes and process knowledge (i.e., process awareness and understanding). The effectiveness and efficiency variables studied include waste reduction percentage and increase in throughput percentage. The study focused on the production process and utilized before and after assessment and improvement interventions of improvement intervention in small manufacturing enterprises.

The findings of this research help to explain how and to what extent a practitioner's (i.e., field engineer's) process knowledge influences improvement intervention impact in the enterprise. In addition, this research examines how an organization's (i.e., employees') process knowledge relates to the success of improvement intervention. Results (from the population of small manufacturers studied) indicate that relationships between the degree of process knowledge held by field engineers and lead employees are linked to the success of improvement interventions. Furthermore, results suggest that there exists a threshold level of process knowledge beyond which relatively high levels of improvement results are obtained, and below which marginal, if any, results are obtained.

This research offers technical assistance to small manufacturing enterprises, tailored to their limited resources and capabilities, by which they can effectively and efficiently utilize improvement intervention means. In addition, this research provides evidence to support the importance and impact of process knowledge in the effectiveness and efficiency of the field engineer's performance.

Finally, the research results offer the academic community new insights into how improvement interventions work in the small business environment. With more insight into process improvement intervention and more precise means to calibrate the production system, innovative strategies and means for faster and more economical improvement in the small business sector are expected. It is anticipated that results gained in the small business sector are scalable to the large business sector. It is also foreseen that the results generated in the manufacturing industry can build a foundation for similar research approaches in other industries. That is, the principle that process knowledge influences the effectiveness and efficiency of improvement intervention activities can be studied in the service industry as well.