The thesis presents an exploratory research on the fit of manufacturing systems and organizational factors and its effects on the company performance in the shipbuilding industry. The research is based on qualitative data and information about 6 innovation projects involving new manufacturing systems in 5 Korean shipbuilding firms and a Japanese case for a comparative analysis.
This thesis discusses three major issues. First, it takes a look at organizational changes due to the adoption of new manufacturing systems in the shipyards. The analysis of each project is focused on the following: ① weather the firm was to create culture to accommodate the changes, ② weather to provide education and training of employees for the new technology, ③ weather to diffuse existing individual capabilities throughout the organization in order to accommodate the changes, and ④ weather to provide proper rewards to the employees and thus to instigate successive innovations.
Second, it explores the impacts of the differences in organization changes made by the firms on their performance. It can be inferred that high-performing organizations have made organizational changes compatible with the new systems changes, whereas less successful firms failed to show consistent patterns.
Finally, we can conclude that an organizational culture conducive to creating organizational cohesiveness from the shop floor to the top management is a critical driving force underlying an effective fit between manufacturing systems and organizational factors. Such organization culture encompasses the following:
(1) Training and education for field operators including direct technical benchmarking, (2) Autonomy of working groups supporting rapid decision making, (3) Equitable rewards to motivate another improvement.
