物流中英文文献翻译.docx

精益生产的工作环境的创造性张力对物流企业和工人的影响J.deHaan，F.NAUN，Mover boom Tilburg University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Department of Organization and Strategy, P.O. Box 90153, 5000 LE Tilburg, The Netherlands蒂尔堡大学经济与工商管理学院组织和战略部，邮政信箱90153，5000乐蒂尔堡，荷兰摘 要在本文中，我们使用的概念“创造性张力”是从精益生产的理念调和需要的附加值，控制物流成本。由于微薄的利润，管理导向的物流员工作为一种成本，而不是增加值是源。然而，培养员工幸福感与组织效能，适应的过程控制的需要，影响了工作特性之间的需要，和工人在他们的工作自主性和创造性的需要。合适的假设进行了测试，在两个物流服务提供商。这两项研究的结果表明，具有挑战性，使员工在日常工作中可能会导致积极的结果，创造性地运用自己的才智和技能。1.背景介绍物流是一个高度竞争的行业，物流服务提供商（LSP）一般倾向于把他们的活动小空间。当市场条件不允许增加了收入，对成本的强烈关注盛行（约翰逊，1999）。由于劳动力成本是物流成本的主要组成部分，管理的角度发展看劳动作为一种成本需要纪律和受控源，而不是一个附加值需要滋养。因此，工作压力大，工资比较低，和工作的激励潜力可能遭受。精益生产（LP）的哲学“多与少”已成为成本控制管理的灵丹妙药，并因此被批评在科学文献中的对工人健康声称的效果。在本文中，我们认为，创造性张力的概念从精益生产的理念可以调和在精益生产的环境成本控制和员工的幸福感和满意度的需要提供了一种方法。本文的目的是抵消认为精益工作不能内在激励，通过调查是否精益实际上可以克服员工成长需要的期望和工作特性之间的失配，从而提高员工个人和组织的成果。2节论述了物流市场的角度，如何影响物流员工的工作环境。3节讨论对精益生产的员工，在文学发展的影响的角度。此外，我们提供了一个新的镜头观察依靠个人和组织的影响。在4节中，我们提出两个荷兰LSP中获得的经验数据，这表明精益实践实际上可以帮助创造一个适合的工作特点，工人的要求，及公司的要求。2.在物流市场的需求和员工需求在物流市场的需求和员工需求创造价值的时间缩小差距，地方，和数量。这是通过储存、运输，并在入境货物装卸与过程。LSP进行这些活动对航运企业代表，他们的工作范围内的货主买方供应商关系及外包合同的框架，从而面对托运人的直接后果最后一分钟的危机。LSP也代表托运人在与客户的接触，并通过LSP有错误是由买方的眼睛托运人犯错。作为一个结果，LSP都需要保持较高的服务水平，同时也面临一些不确定因素的影响和制约。虽然物流是一个核心的过程中，客户能够通过谈判价格低。因此，面对他们的活动小LSP的利润，如表1所示。本质上这是因为供应商，因为他们要投资基本上适应顾客的需求。托运人将不需要适应，因为他们大多可以在多个路径选择。总之，LSP进行托运的主要过程在一个较高的服务水平，但在尽可能最低的价格。因此，他们无法低成本和灵活的服务之间做出权衡，但有追求同时满足和留住客户。在成本结构中劳动力成本优势。在荷兰，利用LSP的人每小时工资低于同等工作。劳动力成本差异使LSP优于内部物流部门，即使他们会更有效。然而，有人认为，一个LSP的过度强调削减劳动力成本降至最低的可能为托运人所产生的影响，因为它可能会导致劳动力的问题，可能会导致经营风险，如质量差，生产效率低，空的或不完整的订单，和高周转，最终可能会威胁到全球供应链的性能。最后，对可能出现的托运人的声誉风险。因此，由于削减成本的过度强调，无论是托运人和LSP可能会发现自己陷入了一个恶性循环。在市场条件下，人力资源管理在这些事态的发展，它不应该作为一个惊喜，LSP的周转率很高，不仅为卡车司机也为商。这个问题已经通过在物流领域的研究人员承认，他们已采取了调查物流工人和雇用他们的组织关系的挑战。欧特里和多尔蒂（2003）报告说，至少有20%在某些情况下作为仓库工人75%多将离开他们的工作后一年内，他们被雇用，而取代失去员工成本的过高。使用从七个不同的仓库和配送中心的一个样本的员工，他们研究了人组织契合度、满意度之间的关系，以及应对工作环境中的不愉快情绪的方法。结果表明，那些对自己的现实的期望员工公司和主管的特征更容易满意自己的就业。更满意的员工表现出的行为，利益自己和公司，而不满意的员工试图离开公司或逃逸的情况更糟，行为事与愿违。总之，人组织适合员工和公司积极。在一项旨在确定因素仓库员工离职，Min发现，工作安全是留住员工的最重要因素之一，而金钱奖励几乎没有影响营业额。他还发现，规模较大的公司，营业额高是因为缺乏个人关注。3.精益管理和工人的结果在上一节中我们已经描述了在物流被许多公司所面临的管理困境。另一方面，在高压力下邀请人员发展与成本削减近视困扰的利润，提高或至少保持公司的结果。另一方面，实证研究表明，这些做法可能对工作经验和劳动力的工作态度，这可能是为什么周转物流过高的原因造成负面影响。因此，过度削减成本的驱动器，良好的人，取而代之的是非常昂贵的，这对公司的业绩产生负面影响。这邀请另一轮的成本削减，加剧了问题更进一步。一个恶性循环的一个经典的例子。在本研究中我们认为，物流服务商，来维持甚至提高自己的服务水平，通过严格的过程控制在一个有吸引力的工作环境是采用工人的形象作为一个增值的源泉，而不是成本。这就需要对人力资源管理的重新定位为一个以客户为导向的企业，决定性的因素。这也提醒了麦克格雷戈的理论转变的一个转变，这句话的平均工人有一个固有的不喜欢的工作，更倾向于避免责任，并需要被引导和控制，理论上说，一般工人不喜欢工作，将行使自我方向和自我控制，并学会接受，但也寻求责任。这种转变将帮助物流企业打破恶性循环，我们认为精益生产（LP）哲学（简称“lean”）有助于做到这。它也将与组织学习的理念，为员工的发展将在学习过程中的一个关键的角色在一个支持性的组织文化。4.结论由Womack等人提出的创造性张力的概念。（1990）描述的相互作用之间的工人和一个精益工作环境的特点至今在精益文学忽略。在本文中，我们认为，这个概念提供了一个镜头，不仅对工人健康研究精益实践的影响，但也表明改进精益工作更激励有效。基于人组织匹配理论，我们开发了一个修改后的版本，Hackman和Oldham（1976）众所周知的工作特征模型研究的需要，对员工的心理状态和重要成果的自主性和创造性的潜力之间的拟合效果。我们的实证结果支持创造性张力的概念对精益生产的影响研究的效果。我们的研究结果表明，我们的受访者中，所有的物流工作，实际上是对他们的工作自主性的潜力非常满意。因为自治的潜力被证明是满意的，动机，最重要的预测和营业额，这一发现具有重要的意义。相反，去特雷维尔，Antonakis（2006）认为精益将带来自主性大幅减少，这表明该组织的努力来实现精益实践不抑制员工感知度高的工作自主性。一个重要的发现是，在工作中的创造力的潜力提供了改进的空间，因为它不满足个人需要的创新。一个精益的主要基础是自底向上的策略让工人参与连续识别浪费源和建议来消除这些，比如在改善活动发挥他们的创造力。我们的研究表明，事实上这可能会对工作满意度和离职的积极作用。此外，为满足员工有更好的表现比不满意的员工，他们都不愿意离开组织，更大的创作潜力也可能会提高组织有效性。三分之一个重要的发现，从这项研究中，工作特征和预后之间的关系始终介导的责任，虽然激励效果不是很强。表3显示，责任更需要驱动的和潜在的创造力比自治。综上所述，我们认为，无论是理论探讨和实际意义的精益理念将从创新更受益。就像任何其他的研究，目前的研究还需要考虑在解释结果的局限性。主要的限制是样本大小。本研究的目的是探讨创造性张力概念的研究潜力，但更大的样本会有助于我们的结果可靠性和有效性的结构有关。另一个限制是，我们的回归分析是基于由仓库工人提供的数据。因此，我们不能肯定的推广我们的研究结果的所有物流公司。尽管有这些限制，但是，我们认为，创造性张力的概念提供了巨大的潜在的未来的研究能够更好地了解和探讨精益生产实践对工人健康和组织的有效性。未来研究的一个引人注目的建议已经由法里斯等。（2009）的人认为，这是运营管理和工业工程的社会责任，帮助企业更好地了解改善活动。因此，一个有前途的研究将探讨改善活动确实可以引发的想法和做法，导致平滑过程的工人的创造性，从而也有助于创造更多的潜力由经验丰富的工人。Creative tension in a lean work environment: Implications for logistics firms and workersJ. de Haan, F. Naus n, M. Overboom Tilburg University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Department of Organization and Strategy, P.O. Box 90153, 5000 LE Tilburg, The NetherlandsABSTRACTIn this paper we use the concept of creative tension from the lean production philosophy to reconcile the need for added value and cost control in logistics. Due to thin profit margins, a managerial orientation on logistics employees as a source of costs rather than a source of added value prevails. However, to foster employee well-being and organizational effectiveness, a fit is needed between the job characteristics influenced by the need for process control, and workers need for autonomy and creativity in their jobs. The fit hypothesis was tested across two logistics service providers. Results from both studies indicated that challenging and enabling workers to creatively use their talents and skills in daily work will most likely lead to positive results.1. IntroductionLogistics is a highly competitive industry and logistic service providers (LSPs) generally tend to get small margins on their activities. When market conditions do not allow for an increase in revenues, a strong focus on costs prevails (Johnson et al., 1999). Since the cost of labor is the major cost component of logistics, a managerial perspective has developed to see labor as a source of costs that needs to be disciplined and controlled, rather than a source of added value that needs to be nourished. As a consequence, work pressure is high, pay is relatively low, and the motivating potential of jobs may suffer. The lean production (LP) philosophy to do more with less has been embraced as a managerial panacea for cost control, and has accordingly been criticized in the scientific literature for its purported effects on workers well-being. In this paper we argue that the concept of creative tension (Womack et al., 1990, pp. 102) from the lean production philosophy may provide a way to reconcile the need for cost control and worker well-being and satisfaction in a lean production environment.The purpose of this paper is to counterbalance the claim that lean jobs cannot be intrinsically motivating (de Treville and Antonakis, 2006) by investigating whether lean can actually overcome the misfit between workers growth need expectations and job characteristics, thereby enhancing employees personal and organizational outcomes. Section 2 discusses the market perspective of LSPs and how this affects the work environment of logistics employees. In Section 3 we discuss the perspective on the effects of lean production on employees that has evolved in the literature. In addition, we offer a new lens to observe the effects of lean on personal and organizational outcomes. In Section 4, we present empirical data obtained from two Dutch LSPs, suggesting that lean practices can actually help to create a fit between job characteristics, worker demands, and company requirements.2. Market requirements and worker needs in logistics Logistics creates value by bridging gaps in time, place, and quantity. This is accomplished by means of storage, transport, and the handling of goods in inbound- and outbound processes. LSPs perform these activities on behalf of shipping firms (Stefansson, 2006), and they work within the framework of the shippers buyersupplier relationships and the outsourcing contract, thereby facing the immediate consequences of the shippers last minute crises. LSPs also represent shippers in their contacts with customers, and any mistake made by the LSP is a mistake made by the shipper in the eye of the buyer. As a consequence, LSPs are required to maintain a high service level, while facing a number of uncertainties and constraints.Although logistics is a core process, shippers are able to negotiate low prices. Hence, LSPs face small margins on their activities, as shown in Table 1. In essence this is because LSPs arecaptive suppliers (Bensaou, 1999), as they have to invest substantially to adapt to their customers needs. The shippers will and need not adapt, because mostly they can choose between multiple LSPs. In summary, LSPs carry out shippers primary processes at a high service level, but at the lowest price possible.Consequently, they cannot make a trade-off between low cost and flexible service, but have to pursue both simultaneously to satisfy and retain their clients. In the cost structure labor costs are dominant. In the Netherlands, hourly wages for people employed by LSPs are lower than in comparable jobs. These differences in labor costs enable LSPs to outperform internal logistics departments even if they would be less efficient. However, it is argued that an LSPs excessive emphasis on cutting labor costs to the bare minimum may have repercussions for the shipper, because it may cause labor problems that can result in operational risks, such as poor quality, low productivity, unfilled or incomplete orders, and high turnover, that may eventually threaten the global supply chains performance. Finally, reputational risks for the shipper may occur (Jiang et al., 2009). Thus, due to an excessive emphasis on cost cutting, both the shipper and the LSP may find themselves caught up in a vicious circle.Given these developments in market conditions and human resource management, it should not come as a surprise that turnover rates for LSPs are very high, not only for truckers but also for warehousers. This problem has been recognized by researchers in the area of logistics, who have taken up the challenge to investigate the relationship between logistics workers and their employing organizations. Autry and Daugherty (2003) report that at least 20% and in some cases as much as 75% of warehouse workers will leave their job within one year after they were hired, while the costs of replacing lost employees are excessively high (pp. 184). Using a sample of employees from seven different warehouses and distribution centers, they studied the relationship between personorganization fit, satisfaction, and ways to cope with unpleasant feelings in the work environment. Results indicated that employees who have realistic expectations about their company and about supervisor characteristics are more likely to be satisfied with their employment. More satisfied employees exhibit behavior that benefits themselves and the company, whereas dissatisfied employees attempt to escape the situation by leaving the company or, worse, by behaving counterproductively. In short, personorganization fit is positive for both the employee and the company. In a study aimed at identifying factors that account for warehouse employee turnover, Min (2007) found that job security was one of the most important factors for retaining employees, whereas monetary incentives hardly influenced turnover. He also found that the larger thecompany, the higher the turnover was because of lack of personal attention.3. Lean management and worker outcomesIn the previous section we have described a managerial dilemma faced by many firms in logistics. On the one hand, margins under high pressure invite managers to develop a myopic obsession with cost cutting, to improve or at least maintain company results. On the other hand, empirical studies indicate that these practices may have a negative impact on the work experience and work attitude of the labor force and that this may be one of the reasons why turnover in logistics is excessively high. Thus, excessive cost cutting drives good people away and replacing them is very expensive, which has a negative impact on company results. This invites another round of cost cutting, exacerbating the problem even further. A classical example of a vicious circle.In the present study we argue that for logistic service providers, a way to maintain or even improve their service level through strict process control in an attractive work environment is to adopt an image of workers as a source of added value, rather than of costs. This requires a managerial reorientation on human resources as a decisive factor in a customer-orientated enterprise (Bullinger et al., 1995). It also reminds one of a shift from McGregors theory X, saying that the average worker has an inherent dislike of work, prefers to avoid responsibility, and needs to be directed and controlled, to theory Y saying that the ordinary worker does not inherently dislike work, will exercise self-direction and self-control, and learns to not only accept but also seek responsibility (McGregor, 1960). This shift will help logistics firms break the vicious circle and we claim that the lean production (LP) philosophy (in short lean) helps to accomplish just that. It would also be in line with the concept of organizational learning, assigning a key role in the learning process to employee development in a supportive organizational culture (Antonacopoulou, 1999; Pool, 2000).4. DiscussionThe creative tension concept offered by Womack et al. (1990) to describe the interaction between workers and the characteristics of a lean work environment has so far been neglected in the lean literature. In this paper we have argued that this concept offers a lens to not only study the effects of lean practices on worker well-being, but also to suggest improvements to make lean jobs more motivating and effective. Based on person organization fit theory, we developed a modified version of Hackman and Oldhams (1976) well known Job Characteristics Model to investigate the effects of a fit between need and potential for autonomy and creativity on workers psychological states and important outcomes.Our empirical results support the efficacy of the creative tension concept for research on the effects of lean. Our results indicate that our respondents, all working in logistics, were actually very much satisfied with the potential for autonomy in their work. Because the potential for autonomy was shown to be the most important predictor of satisfaction, motivation, and turnover, this finding has important implications. Contrary to de Treville and Antonakis (2006) claim that lean will bring about a massive reduction in autonomy, it suggests that this organizations efforts to implement lean practices do not inhibit employees to perceive a high degree of autonomy in their work. A second important finding is that the potential for creativity in the job offered room for improvement, because it did not meet the personal need for creativity. One of the primary fundamentals of lean is the bottom-up strategy to get workers involved in continuously identifying sources of waste and making suggestions to eliminate these, for instance by tapping their creativity in kaizen events. Our study suggests that indeed this will likely have a positive effect on job satisfaction and turnover. Moreover, as satisfied employees perform better than dissatisfied employees and they are less inclined to leave the organization, more potential for creativity may also be expected to enhance organizational effectiveness. A third important finding from this study is that the relationships between job characteristics and outcomes were co