استراتژی تولید عمومی و عملکرد کارخانه

This study examines the effects of the fit between generic manufacturing strategies (GMS) and manufacturing objectives upon strategically relevant plant level performance outcomes (e.g. cost-efficiency, quality, delivery, flexibility, and innovation). The proposition that plants with generic manufacturing strategies that are consistent (fit) with operational objectives will experience relatively higher levels of performance than others is tested using data from multiple countries and industries. A simultaneous estimation analysis revealed significant relationships between generic manufacturing strategies and plant performance, when accounting for operational objectives and while controlling for country, industry, and size effects.

Generic business strategies at the organizational level have been studied extensively in the strategic management literature (Homburg et al., 1999, Lassar and Kerr, 1996, Marlin et al., 1994, McGee and Thomas, 1986 and Miller and Dess, 1993). Generic business strategies are “common patterns of competition” that “generate competitive advantages across a variety of industries” (Kotha and Orne, 1989). More recently, generic strategies have also been examined at the product level (Nayyar, 1993). A number of scholars have suggested that the manufacturing function can be a source of competitive advantage to the firm (Hayes and Wheelwright, 1984, Hill, 1989, Miller and Rogers, 1956, Skinner, 1969 and Skinner, 1978). However, empirical validation studies of generic strategies that focus on the functional level of manufacturing are relatively rare, even though, “generic strategies … remain useful” (Ward and Duray, 2000).

This study confirms an important, but untested presumption that underlies virtually all manufacturing strategy typologies in the literature—the link between intended strategy (objectives) and realized strategy (manufacturing structure) and its effect upon manufacturing performance outcomes. However, this presumption should be explicitly tested for other typologies, since the results reported herein are based upon the GMS typology and therefore, they should not be generalized beyond the scope of the GMS framework. The results reported herein indicate that the GMS framework has predictive ability at the plant level. Since the GMS framework has not been substantially validated in the literature (Bozarth and McDermott, 1998 and Devaraj et al., 2001), studies such as this, which demonstrate the empirical validity of aspects of the framework are useful (and necessary) for the advancement of knowledge in operations management (Swamidass, 1991). In addition, we have extended the application of the GMS framework to the plant level of analysis. The GMS was not specifically designed for use at the plant level, but this study clearly demonstrates that it does have some predictive ability at that level.