To bring an organization a world-class recognition, the operations manager needs to combine three core components: operations design, operations scheduling and control, and establishing the quality of services and products (Bamford & Forrester 2010). The most efficient operations strategies are those aimed at adding value to the company’s performance and increasing its profitability. Such strategies include cultivating basic competencies, service and product enhancement, customer-driven skills, competitive concerns, and corporate strategy.
Muda and Hendry (2002) suggest a world-class manufacturing model incorporating fourteen principles aimed at making operations management more efficient. Some of the proposed strategies are: consolidating the objectives of marketing and production, making the process of communicating with the customers easier, controlling the workload and time, enhancing the process of sharing information, organizing a system of rewards for the employees, collecting and analyzing the customers’ feedback (Muda & Hendry 2002). Employment of these strategies allows organizations to reach the highest esteem and quality.
Delivery of world-class healthcare services is one of the major problems of modern society. Frequently, these facilities lack financial support and proper management techniques to fulfill their aspirations. However, when I worked at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Indianapolis, our operations manager did his best to provide opportunities for the organization’s development. He employed such strategies as customer-driven skills, corporate strategy, and competing priorities. By doing so, the manager sustained a highly motivated atmosphere within the hospital. The employees strived to provide the best care for customers, and the organization was able to deliver world-class services to its patients.
Necessary Elements of an Operations Plan
A successful operations plan needs to include such features as setting the major goals, designing the specific objectives to attain these goals, scheduling the process phases, understanding the expected budget fluctuations, predicting the actions in the case if any changes occur, and constant tracking of the projects’ development.
A great example of successful implementation of the operations plan is Apple Inc. (Lazonick, Mazzucato & Tulum 2013). Outstanding management activity provides a constant worldwide success for the organization. Another illustration of a world-class operations plan was designed by the Ethiopian Airports Enterprise (Ethiopian Airports Enterprise 2011). The company’s employment of operations plan elements allowed to increase customer satisfaction and enhance the airport infrastructure.
Gaining Competitive Advantage through Strategic Operations
Strategic management allows companies to gain a high level of competitiveness in the world market. For instance, the Fiat company applies the elements of world-class manufacturing which makes it more powerful and influential (Chiarini & Vagnoni 2015). Fiat was able to gain a competitive advantage by employing a cost categorization system that enables to structure of the strategic operations system and thus provides an advantage for the organization.
Another competitive advantage is presented with the company’s ability to create sustainability (Elg & Hultman 2011; Kara, Ibbotson & Kayis 2014). Environmental sustainability plays a major role in outlining the company’s competitiveness (Kara, Ibbotson & Kayis 2014). To ensure this kind of sustainability, companies need to employ the best practices of social responsibility.
Conclusion
Becoming a world-class requires thorough strategic approaches to the organization’s manager. The most successful operations strategies are concerned with improving products and services, developing competitiveness, and delineating a rational corporate strategy. To apply these strategies most efficiently, a manager needs to develop an operations plan which allows to implement the necessary innovations and sustain the existing positive features.
Reference List
Bamford, D & Forrester, P 2010, Essential guide to operations management: concepts and case notes, Wiley, London.
Chiarini, A & Vagnoni, E 2015, ‘World-class manufacturing by Fiat: comparison with Toyota Production System from a strategic management, management accounting, operations management and performance measurement dimension’, International Journal of Production Research, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 590-606.
Elg, U & Hultman, J 2011, ‘Retailers’ management of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in their supplier relationships – does practice follow best practice?’, The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, vol. 21, no. 5, pp. 445-460.
Ethiopian Airports Enterprise 2011, ‘Providing world-class infrastructure and service’, African Business, vol. 379, p. 66.
Kara, S, Ibbotson, S & Kayis, B 2014, ‘Sustainable product development in practice: an international survey’, Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, vol. 25, no. 6, pp. 848-872.
Lazonick, W, Mazzucato, M & Tulum, Ö 2013, ‘Apple’s changing business model: What should the world’s richest company do with all those profits?’, Accounting Forum: The Apple Business Model: Value Capture and Dysfunctional Economic and Social Consequences, vol. 37, no. 4, pp. 249-267.
Muda, S & Hendry, L 2002, ‘Proposing a world-class manufacturing concept for the make-to-order sector’, International Journal of Production Research, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 353-373.