Division of Quality & Environmental Management ANNUAL REPORT

Transcription

1 Division of Quality & Environmental Management ANNUAL REPORT

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3 1 Background and Overview In January 1, 2003 the Division of Quality & Environmental Management (Avdelningen för kvalitets- & miljöledning) was created through a merger between the Quality Technology group and the Environmental Management group. The establishment of the division, the very first one of this kind in Sweden, was supported both from industry and the public sector in Sweden. Large efforts were spent on a successful merger, partly with financial support from the Development Council Government Sector (Utvecklingsrådet för den statliga sektorn). For instance, efforts have been put on our values and the culture; see Figure 2. In February 2006 the Division of Quality & Environmental Management was merged with several other divisions into a unit named Division of Business Administration and Management (Avdelningen för företagsekonomi & verksamhetsutveckling). Figure 1 Parts of the staff of our division at Kukkolaforsen, June 16, Photo: Rickard Garvare. Our four main processes illustrate central activities at Quality & Environmental Management: Undergraduate and Graduate Education, Postgraduate Education, Research, and Links to Society; see Figure 3. Activities are often performed in a close co-operation with business companies, public organizations and other parts of our society and we are convinced that collaboration is of benefit for all parties. This is also emphasized in our vision, which states that we shall be internationally acknowledged for, to in a close co-operation with others, contribute to the future sustainable society. 1

4 OUR VALUES OUR CULTURE We have an open climate, which is built on and respect of each other We make certain that all members of the staff are informed and committed in decision making We work to create sustainable health We have a joint will to do a good job fellowship We want to be seen and heard in order to influence the development of society and our subjects We test new and better ways to work and are willing to adopt new challenges We listen to our students Figure 2 The seven values that constitute our culture. The list is signed by all the staff and can be found in our corridor. Research Postgraduate Education Links to Society Links to Society Society Links to Society Undergraduate and Graduate Education Figure 3 Our four main processes: Undergraduate and Graduate Education, Postgraduate Education, Research, and Links to Society, and their relations. We are presently discussing strategies to further strengthen and expand our fruitful co-operation with companies and other universities. Collaboration with Mid-Sweden University has been established in quality management containing, for instance, undergraduate education, post-graduate education, and research, and includes development of courses for distance studies, exchange of teachers and supervision of post-graduate students. The division is also closely co-operating in a joint research program with Karolinska institutet in Stockholm and Umeå University. Furthermore, a co-operation with Stockholm School of Business has started with a couple of projects and exchange of teacher resources. Co-operation has also been established with a number of companies active within the area of Six Sigma. 2

5 1.1 Undergraduate and Graduate Teaching Altogether, we now offer about 20 courses in Quality Technology & Management and Environmental Management to students at our university; see Chapter 5. A basic course on Quality Technology & Management was developed some years ago and is offered for distance studies in a close co-operation with other universities, in particular Mid-Sweden University. An advanced course for distance studies has also been developed with financial support from The Knowledge Foundation (KK-stiftelsen). Since a couple of years we offer a Quality Management specialization (avslutning), mainly to engineering students following the Industrial Engineering and Management Programme (Industriell ekonomi). Students, who complete a specific mix of courses and do a industry project with subtantial savings shown, are offered a Six Sigma Black Belt Certificate from the division. The requirements include that the students conduct a master thesis with the typical DMAIC structure (Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control), which is standard procedure for a Six Sigma project. The division is responsible for a Bachelor Programme called Environmental and Quality Management (Miljö- och kvalitetsmanagement) with financial support from the European Union. We have also had financial support from the European Union during for the establishment of a new research profile connected to this BSc programme with a focus on integrating the areas of quality management, environmental management and work environment management. Our efforts to teach for high quality learning seem to be greatly appreciated by our students, something which has been documented in several ways. In our regular course evaluations we get high values of our SSI (Student Satisfaction Index), which is a measure of the students over-all impression of our division after following a course. The five grade scale of the SSI has for many courses resulted in mean grades of above 4, see Section Postgraduate Education and Research A long-term aim is to establish research groups within certain profile areas, see Figure 4. Each group should be led by at least one senior researcher, who has both an economic and a scientific responsibility for the group. Sustainable Development -Measurements and evaluation Effects of environmental management systems Process Control Quality and environmental management in small organizations Process Management Leadership and learning organizations Figure 4 Our research is focused on a number of profile areas, with Sustainable Development as the overall profile. 3

6 Overall profile: Sustainable development measurement and evaluation In the efforts towards an economically, ecologically and socially sustainable society, we shall focus on management and control of work with quality, work environment and environment in organizations. Our focus is on developing and facilitating implementation of values, methodologies and tools with concentration on measurement and evaluation. Quality and environmental management in small organizations The aim is to support development and implementation of values, methodologies and tools for quality and environmental management in small and medium sized enterprises (SME) and organizations in the private and public sectors. One of the focus areas is quality development within the tourism industry. Profile area leader: Rickard Garvare. Leadership and learning organizations The aim is to contribute to a leadership, which supports continuous improvements and continuous learning. A particular focus is on leadership methodologies, which lead to a sustainable health. Profile area leader: Bengt Klefsjö. Process Management The aim is to create and spread knowledge in the area of Process Management, i.e. development and implementation of values, methodologies and tools to manage and improve organisational processes. Profile area leader: Rickard Garvare. Process Control The aim is to study how a process view and process orientation can support improvement work within quality and environmental management, and in that way contribute to a sustainable society. The work aims as well at developing and implementing methodologies and tools to better measure, control and improve technical and administrative processes. Among these methodologies are Design of Experiment, Statistical Process Control and Six Sigma. Profile area leader: Bjarne Bergquist. Effects of environmental management systems The aim is to further increase the knowledge about the benefits and effects of environmental management systems. Particular fokus is on environmental effects in industrial organisations. This profile also includes studies of how different elements of environmental management systems can be further developed and improved. Profile area leader: Thomas Zobel. 1.3 Links to Society Small Business Academy (Småföretagsakademien) The Small Business Academy is based on close co-operation between several divisions at Luleå University of Technology. Among these are Quality & Environmental Management, Industrial Organization, Manufacturing Engineering, Construction Management, Industrial Work Environment, and Industrial Design. The aim is to create a basis for contacts with SME in the region and help them with advice and courses, but the academy has also a clear focus on research and development on issues related to SME. For instance, a program, called the PEN-program, for research and development, partly financed by European Union, based on a co-operation with Umeå University and different companies, has been initiated. Rickard Garvare has been the division s representative in the Small Business Academy during the years in question. 4

7 Research Station Eastern Norrbotten (Forskarstation Östra Norrbotten) The four local communities, Kalix, Haparanda, Överkalix and Övertorneå, situated in the northeast part of Sweden, constitute Eastern Norrbotten. The region has about 37,000 inhabitants. A specific federation for cooperation on issues related to higher education was established in 1998/1999 between these four local communities. The four local communities decided in 1999 to start a project called Research Station Eastern Norrbotten (Forskarstation Östra Norrbotten). Cooperation was established with the Luleå University of Technology, the Swedish University for Agricultural Sciences in Umeå and Lund, The National Institute for Working Life in Östersund, and the Swedish Business Development Agency (NUTEK). The Research Station has got financial support from the EU and from Norrbotten County Administrative Board (Länsstyrelsen). Furthermore, the Federation and Luleå University of Technology and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Umeå have contributed with money. The Research Station, which has been a virtual organization for research and postgraduate education, was established in January Companies, organizations and local government bodies in the region identified six areas in which the region specifically required new academic knowledge for its future development. Among these was quality and business development in tourism. Three post-graduate students have been working within the tourism group. One of these is Anna-Karin Jonsson Kvist at our division, studying tourists needs and expectations when visiting peripheral areas. Other external education and research During the years in question we have had co-operation with numerous public and private organizations in different parts of the country. A large number of projects, courses and seminars about quality management, process control and leadership have been given. Some of these presentations are listed in Section Some Key Numbers During the time period the division and members of our staff have been mentioned more than 20 times in articles in different journals or newspapers. Among the journals are NyTeknik, Universitetsläraren, Kvalitetsmagasinet and Kundorienterat. Among the newspapers are Norrbottenskuriren and Norrländska Socialdemokraten. We here illustrate the development of our division with the key numbers presented in Figure 5 and 6. Licentiate theses Doctoral theses 4 Nr of examinations Year Figure 5 Number of theses presented at the Division over the past years. 5

8 Papers in int. journals and books Conference proceedings Nr of papers Year Figure 6 Number of converence proceedings and papers in internationan journals and books presented at the Division. 2 Staff During the time period the following people have been employed: Bjarne Bergquist, PhD, Associate Professor Jan-Ola Burman, PhD, Untenured Professor (adjungerad professor) until Caroline Ede, Assistant Research Fellow (amanuens) 20% from until Görgen Edenhagen, MSc, Lecturer (adjunct) Rickard Garvare, PhD, Associate Professor Roland Harnesk, BSc, Research Engineer Helena Instedt, MSc, Research Engineer, on Parental Leave to Peter Johansson, Research Engineer until , Post Graduate Student (doktorand) until Johan Jönsson, Assistant Research Fellow (amanuens) 20% from until Bengt Klefsjö, PhD, Professor Björn Kvarnström, MSc, Post Graduate Student from Anna-Karin Jonsson Kvist, Tech.Lic., Post Graduate Student (doktorand), parental leave to , parental leave 50% to Erik Lovén, Tech.Lic., Lecturer (adjunkt) Jeevantikka Nagendiran, Assistant Research Fellow (amanuens) 20% from until Thomas Olsson, MSc, Research Engineer Klara Palmberg, Post Graduate Student (doktorand) until Karin Schön. MSc, Research Engineer, parental leave from to Malin Söderqvist, Assistant Research Fellow (ammanuens) 20% from Gunvor Tuoma, Secretary until Erik Vanhatalo, MSc, Research Engineer to , Post Graduate Student (doktorand) from Håkan Wiklund, PhD, Professor; on leave Åsa Wreder, MSc, Post Graduate Student (doktorand) Thomas Zobel, PhD, Assistant Professor 50% from until , Research Assistant from , Parental leave 25% from Anna Åberg, Assistant Research Fellow (amanuens) 20% from until

9 3 Postgraduate Examination Our goal is to have one doctoral thesis and two licentiate theses presented every year. During the last two academic years three doctoral theses and five licentiate theses were presented. They are briefly described below in chronological order. See also Section 4. All theses can be found in PDF-format on our website; Dissertations and licentiate seminars Licentiate thesis by Johan Lilja September 19, 2005 Johan Lilja presented his licentiate thesis (2005:50, ISSN ) Quality practice and customer value strengthening the ideal linkage, September 19, Opponent was Professor Anders Gustafsson, Karlstad University. The aim of this thesis is to examine the ideal linkage between quality practice and customer value in order to increase its strength. The research examines and develops the current theoretical foundation of TQM concerning customer value in terms of the theory of attractive quality. An affective conceptualization of customer value has been used as a basis for an initial examination of the ideal linkage. It is indicated that quality practice, including the measures currently used to capture customer perceptions, is more or less restricted to negative motivations of external customers. Negative motivations basically stem from the customers strive to avoid and reduce negative emotional states. The linkage to positive motivations of the external customers is seemingly much weaker or even absent. An extension of quality practice, including the use of multiple output measures, is suggested to increasing the reflection of this duality of customer value in TQM. As a foundation for such an extension, a two-dimensional perspective on the mechanisms involved in the strong positive emotional state associated with attractive quality elements has been proposed. The proposed perspective points at two separate mechanisms in terms of the satisfaction of high-level needs and latent needs. The thesis is based on the following appended papers: Lilja, J. & Wiklund, H. (2005). Obstacles to the creation of attractive quality. Accepted for publication in Total Quality Management & Business Excellence. Lilja, J. & Wiklund, H. (2005). A two-dimensional perspective on attractive quality. Submitted for publication. Lilja, J. & Wiklund, H. (2005). Getting emotional about quality: questioning and elaborating the satisfaction concept. Proceedings of the Eight QMOD Conference in Palermo, Italy, June 29-July 1, Figure 7 Johan Lilja receives the licentiate diploma from the examiner Professor Bengt Klefsjö (left). Johan together with the opponent Professor Anders Gustafsson, Karlstad University (right). Photo: Rickard Garvare. 7

10 Doctoral thesis by Thomas Zobel October 14, 2005 Thomas Zobel presented his doctoral thesis (2005:32, ISSN ) Environmental management systems policy implementation and environmental effects, October 14, Faculty opponent was Adjunct Professor Torbjörn Brorson, International Environmental Institute, Lund. The committee consisted of Professor Jens Dahlgaard, Linköping University, Professor Margareta Magerhom Fet, NTNU, Trondheim, and Professor Patrik Söderholm, Luleå University of Technology. Using meta-evaluation, existing evidence on environmental effects of EMS, as ISO 14001, is evaluated. The reviewed studies are not consistent and it is therefore not possible to suggest a causal linkage between EMS implementation and improved environmental performance. Another meta-study focused on the influence of organisation characteristics on environmental effects of EMS. The results indicate that benefits of EMS seem to be inert of the drivers for adoption and the cultural setting. A common approach to facilitate implementation is joint EMS and group certification. Through a case study, it was found that the approach is effective for small and micro-sized companies. The identification and assessment of environmental aspects and the implementation of environmental policy through objectives, targets and programmes are characterised by the use of two multiple-case studies. It is concluded that the implementation of environmental policy is strictly controlled by specifications in EMS standards. Many organisations find it hard to measure their environmental goals and to sufficiently involve their employees in the policy implementation. Six problematic elements when identifying and assessing environmental aspects have been identified. In addition, inadequacies exist regarding the reproducibility of the methods used for identification and assessment of environmental aspects. In order to improve the reproducibility, an approach to a new method is suggested which is based on life cycle analysis (LCA) methodology. The thesis is based on the following appended papers: Zobel, T., Almroth, C., Bresky, J. & Burman, J-O. (2001). Identification and assessment of environmental aspects in an EMS context: an approach to a new reproducible method based on LCA methodology. Journal of Cleaner Production, 10:4, Zobel, T. & Burman, J-O. (2004). Factors of importance in identification and assessment of environmental aspects in an EMS context: Experiences in Swedish organizations Journal of Cleaner Production, 12:1, Zobel, T. (2005). A Characterization of environmental policy implementation in an EMS context: A multi-case study in Sweden. Submitted for publication. Schylander, E. & Zobel, T. (2003). Environmental effects of environmental management systems evaluation of the evidence. Proceedings of Evaluation of Sustainability European Conference EASY-ECO 2, Vienna, Austria, May 15-17, 2003, Zobel, T. (2005). The pros and cons of joint EMS and group certification: a Swedish case study. Submitted for publication. Zobel, T. (2005). The influence of organizational characteristics on the environmental benefits of environmental management systems. Submitted for publication. Figure 8 The opponent Adjunct Professor Torbjörn Brorson, International Environmental Institute, Lund (left) and Thomas Zobel (right). Photo: Rickard Garvare. 8

11 Licentiate thesis by Klara Palmberg December 22, 2005 Klara Palmberg presented her licentiate thesis (2005:74, ISSN ) Experiences of process management, December 22, Opponent during the seminar was Adjunct Professor Johnny Lindström, Stockholm School of Business. The purpose of this research is, through empirical research, to develop current knowledge and create a level of understanding of Process Management. The aims of this thesis are to: (1) Describe experiences of companies that have worked to put a Process Management initiative into operation; (2) Identify and explain patterns of non-organisational characteristics when implementing and using process management. The findings suggest that there is no single answer to the question of what the transition from a functionally orientated into a process-orientated organisation looks like. However, an interesting aspect that emerges is that the investigated organisations have reached what have been identified as different stages of implementing their Process Management initiatives: Functions, teams & projects, and processes. The thesis also concludes that there is no single answer to how to work with Process Management. The way of working with Process Management can differ between organisations and should depend on the aims the organisation wants to accomplish. The thesis is based on the following appended papers: Garvare, R. & Palmberg, K. (2003). Case studies of process management in small and medium sized enterprises Submitted for publication. Palmberg, K. (2005). Experiences of implementing process management case studies with a focus on organizational issues. Proceedings from the Eighth QMOD Conference, Palermo, Italy, June 29- July 1, Palmberg, K. & Garvare, R. (2005). Sustained quality management how to receive the Swedish Quality Award twice. Accepted for publication in International Journal Quality & Reliability Management. Figure 9 Klara Palmberg (left) discussing process management during the seminar and the opponent Adjunct Professor Johnny Lindström, Stockholm School of Economics, together with Klara Palmberg after the seminar (right). Photo: Göran Dellenbäck. Licentiate thesis by Åsa Wreder June 20, 2006 Åsa Wreder presented her licentiate thesis (2006:36, ISSN ) How to create sustainable health - Experiences taken from Swedish organizations, June Opponent was PhD Maria Gustavsson, Linköping University. International competition and changing demands mean that organizations are more dependent on co-workers health, motivation and commitment. However, attempts to manage new demands, very often, seem to cause unhealthy workplaces. This results in sickness absence, which has grown to a major problem in many Swedish companies. Research, shows that to 9

12 meet the demands of modern working life with healthy and co-creative co-workers, a flat, flexible and empowered organization is needed. However, in large organizations hierarchical structures and communication channels are common. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the creation of good work environments and employee health, in particular as regards larger organizations. To achieve this purpose, the work of managers and co-workers of a large and successful bank has been studied. Based on the experiences a management model for sustainable health was created to inspire the work of managers of large organisa- tions. The model suggests a management strategy based on a culture of core values considering human aspects that are supported by methodologies and tools. Figure 10 Åsa Wreder presenting her licentiate thesis (left) and the opponent PhD Maria Gustavsson, Linköping University, together with Åsa Wreder after the seminar (right). Photo: Rickard Garvare. The thesis is based on the following appended papers: Wreder, Å. (2005). Successful management methodologies for achieving co-worker health in large organizations. Submitted for publication. Wreder, Å. & Klefsjö, B. (2006). How to create a successful workplace. The co-workers opinion of Sweden s best workplace. Accepted for publication in Journal of Management Practice. Wreder, Å. (2006). Management for sustainable workplaces a tentative model based on experiences of successful organizations. Accepted for the Ninth QMOD Conference Liverpool, August 9-11, Licentiate thesis by Ingela Bäckström September 28, 2006 Ingela Bäckström presented her licentiate thesis (2006:49, ISSN ) Quality manage- ment for sustainable health. - Methodologies, values and practices taken from Swedish orga- September 28, Opponent was Assistant Professor Jonas Hansson, University nizations West, Trollhättan. In many Western countries today, not least in Sweden, there are a lot of organizations that have great problems with sickness absence. The costs connected to the high rates of sickness absence have also risen to alarming levels. Healthy co-workers and healthy organizations are obvious goals for many leaders, but this is not always so easy to establish. Work practices and leadership that are beneficial to co-worker health are thus vital to identify. Studies have shown relationships between company-wide implementation of quality programs and improved co-worker satisfaction along with low co-worker turn over; in other words, co-worker health along with improved customer satisfaction and financial results. In this thesis, organizations that have been awarded prizes for excellence in leadership, internal partnership, working environment, and profitability are analysed. 10

13 Figure 11 Ingela Bäckström (left) discussing with the opponent Assistant Professor Jonas Hansson, University West, Trollhättan ( right). Photo: Rickard Garvare. The thesis is based on the following appended papers: Harnesk, R., Schön, K. & Bäckström, I. (2005). How successful Swedish organizations achieve sustainable health. International Journal of Management Practice, 1:3, Lagrosen, Y., Bäckström, I. & Lagrosen, S. (2007). Quality Management and health a double connection. Accepted for publication in International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management. Lagrosen, Y., Bäckström, I. & Lagrosen, S. (2005). Health effects of Quality Management the role of leadership and participation. Submitted for publication. Licentiate thesis by Peter Johansson February 8, 2007 Peter Johansson presented his licentiate thesis (2007:01, ISSN ) Quality Management and Sustainability. Exploring stakeholder orientation February 8, Opponent was Professor Kevin Foley, University of Technology, Sydney. Figure 12 Peter Johansson presenting his thesis during the seminar (left) and opponent Professor Kevin Foley, University of Technology, Sydney (right). Photo: Göran Dellenbäck. In order to survive, organisations must meet wants and expectations from a number of stake- struggling to survive and prosper, it has holders. At the same time as organisations are become increasingly important for everybody to act in a way that does not endanger global sustainability. In the last few decades a number of management systems have been introduced in order to facilitate for the management of organisations the task of promoting both organisa- study, quality management, environmental tional and global sustainability. In the present management systems and stakeholder theory have been investigated in order to contribute to the knowledge of how an organisation can be managed in order to achieve both organisational and global sustainability. The results include a stakeholder model that could be suitable in 11

14 order to integrate stakeholder theory and quality management. The view of quality manage- in the thesis is to satisfy, or preferably exceed, the wants and expectations of its customers subject to meeting the demands of its other stakeholders, in order to fulfil the ment presented aim of the organisation. The thesis is based on the following appended papers: Garvare, R. & Johansson, P. (2007). Management for Sustainability- A stakeholder theory. Submitted for publication. Johansson, P. (2006). Implementing Stakeholder Management A case study at a micro enterprise. Conference Proceedings from 9th Quality Management and Organisational Development Conference (QMOD), Liverpool. Johansson, P. & Schylander, E. (2005). Environmental Performance Impact of Environmental Management System Standards. Proceedings from Eleventh Annual International Sustainable Development Research Conference (SDRC), Helsinki. Doctoral thesis by Peter Söderholm December 22, 2005 Peter Söderholm presented his doctoral thesis (2005:52, ISSN ) Maintenance and continuous improvement of complex systems. Linking stakeholder requirementstotheuseof Built-in Test Systems December 22, Faculty opponent was Professor Raj B.K.N. Rao, COMADEM International, Birmingham. The committee consisted of Professor Bo Bergman, Chalmers University of Technology, Associate Professor Ulf Sandberg, Vattenfall Service, and Professor Erik Höglund, Luleå University of Technology. The purpose of this research is to explore and describe the linking of changing stakeholder requirements to the use of Built-in Test systems, in order to facilitate maintenance and contin- improvement of complex and critical systems. The main case study and the pilot study in uous the thesis focused on a modern combat aircraft, which is considered as a highly complex and safety critical system with stringent requirements on low life cycle cost. The second case study focused on maintenance-related requirements and risks during maintenance execution within a paper-mill. The thesis includes examinations of important stakeholders and their requirements of critical system health information. Furthermore, the thesis includes studies and analyses of hazards related to health information retrieved through Built-in Test systems and combined with information from external test systems. The thesis also provides suggestions for how stakeholder requirements can be linked to the use of Built-in Test systems, so that they together with external test systems provide required health information and reduce related hazards. Figure 13 Professor Bo Bergman, the opponent Professor Raj Rao, Peter Söderholm, Associate Professor Ulf Sandberg and Professor Uday Kumar after the doctoral seminar. Photo: Behzad Ghodrati. 12

15 The thesis is based on the following appended papers: Söderholm, P. (2004). Continuous Improvements of Complex Technical Systems: A Theoretical Quality Management Framework supported by Requirements Management and Health Management. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 15(4), Söderholm, P. (2005a). A Requirements Management Approach Supporting Integrated Health Management System Design. Accepted for publication in International Journal of COMADEM. Söderholm, P. (2005b). A System View of the No Fault Found (NFF) Phenomenon. Accepted for publication in Reliability Engineering & System Safety. Söderholm, P. & Akersten P.A. (2005). Scenario Analysis in Testability Design, Using Event Tree Analysis. Submitted for publication. Holmgren, M. & Söderholm, P. (2005). A Process View of Maintenance-Related Requirements and Risks. Submitted for publication. Doctoral thesis by Mattias Holmgren October 5, 2006 Mattias Holmgren presented his doctoral thesis (2006:38, ISSN ) Maintenancerelated incidents and accidents : aspects of hazard identification October 5, Faculty opponent was Professor Sidney Dekkert, Lund University. The committee con- sisted of Professor Terje Aven, Stavanger, Professor Kurt-Ehrling Petersen, Lund University, Associate Professor ( docent ) Milan Vejlkovic, Luleå University of Technology. Figure 14 Professor Uday Kumar, supervisor (left) and Mattias Holmgren preparing the doctoral seminar, and the opponent Professor Sidney Dekkert, Lund University in action (right). Photo: Bengt Klefsjö. Although maintenance is performed in order to ensure dependability and safety, incorrectly performed maintenance may contribute to accidents. Traditionally, human failures have often been appointed as one major cause of the maintenance related accidents. However, human failures are not satisfactory as an explanation for incidents and accidents. The purpose of this thesis is to explore and describe hazards contributory to maintenance related incidents and accidents, in order to support continuous risk reduction. One study focused on documentted maintenance related incidents and accidents within the Swedish railway and the other study focused on perceived hazards in relation to maintenance execution within the Swedish paper industry. The thesis indicates that improper infrastructure maintenwithin the Swedish railway. Furthermore, ance is a major cause of collisions and derailments it indicates that the three major maintenance related hazards within the Swedish railway system are: communication errors, information retrieval errors and omitted operations. In addition, both case studies show that a proposed process model of maintenance is a valuable support in hazard identification. The thesis is based on the following appended papers: 13

16 Söderholm, P., Holmgren, M. & Klefsjö, B. (2006). A process view of maintenance and its stakehold- for publication in Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering. ers. Accepted Holmgren, M. & Söderholm, P. (2006a). A process approach to maintenance related hazard identification. Accepted for publication in International Journal of COMADEM. Holmgren, M. (2005). Maintenance related losses at the Swedish rail. Journal f Quality in Maintenance Engineering, 11(1), Holmgren, M. & Alm, H. (2006). Loss causation analysis of accidents Linked to maintenance on the Swedish state railways. Submitted for publication. Holmgren, M. & Söderholm, P. (2006b). Human failures in maintenance execution within a railway context. Submitted for publication. Licentiate thesis by Karin Schön October 12, 2007 Karin Schön presented her licentiate thesis (2007:45, ISSN ) Job Satisfaction, Six Sigma Improvement Work and the Interconnection between the Two. October 12, Opponent was Associate Professor ( docent ) Mattias Elg, Linköping University Figure 15 Karin Schön presenting her thesis during the seminar (left) and the opponent Associate Professor ( docent ) Mattias Elg, Linköping University together with Karin Schön and her supervisor Associate Professor ( docent ) Bjarne Bergquist after the licentiate seminar (right). Photo: Rickard Garvare. To stay competitive, many organizations apply systematic methodologies to improve product quality and productivity. However, the wellbeing of the employees is only vaguely described in many of these improvement methodologies. The focus of this thesis is on the interconnec- Sigma. The studies performed have been limited to tion between job satisfaction and Six Swedish organizations. The first study included organizations that have been awarded as successful, in particular, in areas concerning employee satisfaction. It was discovered that these companies, although differing in size and business field, had used similar methodologies to reach a high level of job satisfaction. Two studies were performed at organizations that were using Six Sigma. One describes how three large Swedish organizations have worked to implement Six Sigma. This study found two main approaches for the implementation: one seemingly fast top-down approach and one voluntary, middle-out approach. Also, it was shown that many of the Six Sigma success factors found in the literature were valid in a Swedish business environment too. In the third study, which explored how Six Sigma could affect the job satisfaction among em- found that participants of Six Sigma were either neutral or positively affected, while non- participants did not feel affected. Black Belts were generally more positively ployees, it was affected than Green Belt. 14

17 The thesis is based on the following appended papers: Harnesk, R., Schön, K. and Bäckström, I. (2005). How Successful Swedish Organizations Achieve Sustainable Health. International Journal of Management Practice, Vol 1, No. 3, pp Schön, K. (2006). Ways of implementing Six Sigma in a non-american culture. International Journal of Six Sigma and Competitive Advantage. Vol 2, No. 4, pp An earlier version of the paper was presented at and published in the Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Six Sigma, Integrating Six Sigma and Lean Strategies for Achieving and Sustaining Competitive Advantage, June, 2006, Glasgow, Scotland. Schön, K. (2007). Six Sigma and Work Satisfaction Consequences. Presented at and published in the Proceeding of the 10th International QMOD Conference, Our Dreams of Excellence - Learning from the Past and Architecturing the Future, June, 2007, Helsingborg, Sweden. Licentiate thesis by Erik Vanhatalo December 20, 2007 Erik Vanhatalo presented his licentiate thesis (2007:66, ISSN ) Contributions to the use of designed experiments in continuous processes: a study of blast furnace experiments. December 20, Opponent was Dr Kent Tano, LKAB, Kiruna. Figure 16 Erik Vanhatalo presenting licentiate this thesis during the seminar (left) and the opponent Dr Kent Tano, LKAB in Kiruna together with Erik Vanhatalo after the seminar (right). Photo: Rickard Garvare. Design of Experiments (DoE) contains techniques, which help experimenters to maximize the information output from conducted experiments and minimize the amount of experimental work required to reach statistically significant results. The use of DoE in industrial processes is thoroughly described in literature. However, continuous processes in industry, frequently found in, for example, the mining and steel industries, highlight special issues that are typically not addressed in the DoE literature. The purpose is to investigate if factorial designs and other existing techniques in the DoE field are effective tools also in continuous processes. Two studies have been performed. The focus of the first study, a case study of an industrial blast furnace operation, is to explore the potential of using factorial designs in a continuous process and to develop an effective analysis procedure for the experiments in a continuous process. The focus of the second study is to explore how a-priori process knowledge can be used to increase the analysis sensitivity for unreplicated experiments. The thesis is based on the following appended papers: Vanhatalo, E. & Bergquist, B. (2007). Special Considerations when Planning Experiments in Continuous Process. Quality Engineering, 19(3): a 15

18 Vanhatalo, E., Vännman, K. & Hyllander, G. (2007). A Designed Experiment in a Continuous Process. Helsingborg, Sweden: the proceedings of the 10th International Quality Management and Organizational Development (QMOD) conference. The paper was presented June 20th, 2007 at the conference by Erik Vanhatalo. Bergquist, B. & Vanhatalo, E. (2007). The Use of A-Priori Information when Analyzing Designed Experiments. Submitted for publication. 3.2 Associate professors Bjarne Bergquist was appointed Associate Professor ( docent ) and Rickard Garvare was appointed Associate Professor ( docent ) , see Figure 17. Figure 17 Associate Professor Rickard Garvare (left) and Associate Professor Bjarne Bergquist (right) during their installation seminars December 6, Photo: Bengt Klefsjö. 4 Research Projects In this section a number of ongoing projects at our division are briefly described. Most of them are classified according to our profile areas, presented in Section 1.2. The area of Reliability and Maintenance of Systems is included since two of our former post graduate students, Mattias Holmgren and Peter Söderholm, now working at the Division of Operation and Maintenance at Luleå university of Technology, were partly supervised by Bengt Klefsjö. Their theses were presented as a joint work between the two divisions. 4.1 Sustainable Development Measurement and Evaluation Sustainable Development, Business Excellence and TQM This project studies how to combine principles and methodologies of quality management, business excellence and sustainable development. Definitions and measures of sustainable development are integrated with values of quality management and with global human and environmental stakeholder interests. Requirements, values, criteria and concepts of measures for sustainable development are examined. Present strategies for quality and business excellence are compared with definitions of sustainable development. Indicators for sustainable development in an organizational and business context are classified into drivers, input, enablers, output, and stakeholder satisfaction. Sustainable development is described with the 16

19 dimensions of economy, environment and ethics, representing a modified version of the triple bottom line. The organizational use of indicators for sustainable development is examined. The project is carried out by Rickard Garvare in co-operation with PhD Raine Isaksson at the University of Gotland, Jacob Hallencreutz at Implement Management Partner, and Peter Johansson at Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications. It has resulted in a number of published papers, e.g. Garvare, Hallencreutz & Isaksson (2007) Environmental Management Systems Study of the Environmental Policy Implementation Process This research project studies the characteristics of the environmental policy implementation (EPI) process in an environmental management system (EMS) context. The EPI process consists of identification and assessment of environmental aspects, establishment of environ- policy, goals and mental indicators and establishment and implementation of environmental action plans. EPI is identified as being the heart and the most important part of the EMS. Especially the identification and assessment of environmental aspects are crucial to an EMS, since the significant aspects determine the shape and focus of the entire EMS. The general aim of this project is to contribute to knowledge about the different processes included in EPI. The project is carried out by Thomas Zobel. It has resulted in several articles and a doctoral thesis that was presented in October Quality and Environmental Management in Small Organizations Quality Management and Tourism Tourism is an important sector from an economic point of view. It can be of an even greater importance to regions that are situated in a peripheral area. For such areas, often not suitable for mass tourism, it is of importance to be aware of the needs and expectations of tourists so the right products and services can be offered in order to deliver quality to the customers. The purpose of this project is to explore how customer satisfaction can be measured in the tourism sector and to describe the characteristic needs and expectations of tourists visiting a peripheral area, thereby contributing to the knowledge of both service quality and tourism. The project is carried out by Anna-Karin Jonsson-Kvist within the Research Station Eastern Norrbotten (Forskarstation Östra Norrbotten), with collaboration between the municipalities of Haparanda, Kalix, Överkalix and Övertorneå, situated near the boarder to Finland. A large part of the financial support to the Research School is from the European Union. 4.3 Management and Control of Processes Quality Improvement Strategies Based on Process Capability Studies The use of statistical methods in Swedish organisations has been investigated. The results show that use is generally limited and that many feel that tools are too complex and that knowledge of the tools is limited. Ongoing research focuses on these obstacles. One aim is to generate new, simpler yet statistically sound methods. Another is to generate implementation models useable for people with little statistical background. The project Quality Improvement Strategies based on Process Capability Studies has financial support from the Swedish Research Council and is a co-operation between our division (Bjarne Bergquist) and the Department of Mathematics (Kerstin Vännman and Malin Albing). During the time period, three conference presentations have been made and three papers were published in international journals. Two articles with co-authors from our division have also been submitted. 17

20 4.3.2 Different approaches for implementing Six Sigma in large organisations Experiences of Implementing Process Management In business terms, Six Sigma is a business improvement strategy used to improve profitability, to drive out waste, to reduce quality costs and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of operations that meet or even exceed customer s needs and expectations. In statistical terms, Six Sigma refers to 3.4 defects per million opportunities (DPMO), where sigma is a term used to represent the variation about the process average. This research project focuses on experiences of Six Sigma in three Swedish corporations: Volvo Cars, SKF and Ericsson. Interviews of persons directly involved with the imple- mentation and realization of the ongoing Six Sigma programmes have been carried out and follow-up surveys of the staff are to be performed. The project is being carried out by Karin Schön, who will present her licentiate thesis in October The project has been presented at two conferences and in one journal paper during the two academic years. Within this project case studies of organisations that have successfully implemented process management have been used to investigate quality related management issues. The methodology employed has been mainly qualitative, with interviews and observations as primary tools for data collection. The project was carried out by Klara Palmberg and Rickard Garvare, and was financially supported by Agria Pet Insurance (Agria Djurförsäkring). Among the results of the project are conference papers, journal articles and the licentiate thesis by Klara Palmberg (2005) Experimental strategies for Experimental Blast Furnace When conducting experiments we send disturbances into a system and monitor the system reactions. In this way we can tie our changes in factor(s) X) to a possible change in factor(s) Y. When the system complexity increases and when it is hard to demarcate and measure properties of both X:s and Y:s, the complexity of the experiment also increases. Continuous production processes, frequently found in e.g. process industry, often have a large number of response variables that can be of interest during an experiment. This can make a multivariate approach to analysis necessary. Further, complete randomization of the run order is often impossible in large scale industrial experiments. Also, keeping track of the process state and the involved process flows during the experiment is a major task. The aim of this project is to study obstacles, like the ones mentioned above, that can be found during experimentation in continuous processes and to propose solutions to some of these obstacles. The project is financed by the LKAB mining company and it is carried out by Erik Vanhatalo under supervision of Bjarne Bergquist and Kerstin Vännman in cooperation with staff at the Experimental Blast Furnace (EBF) of LKAB. The EBF plant is an example of a continuous production process and is specifically designed for experimental purposes. The project has been presented in one journal paper and one conference presentation during the two academic years. Erik defended his licentiate thesis December 20, Traceability systems for continuous processes Traceability systems simplify identification of causes to product failures and are therefore vital for many industries. Such systems are used extensively in manufacturing industries, but creating traceability in continuous processes often implies great challenges. The aim of this project is to investigate how traceability can be achieved in the distribution chain for iron ore pellets. Radio frequency identification (RFID) as well as chemical trace element experiments, coupled with process simulation, have been used to trace iron ore pellets and slurry. The project is financed by the LKAB mining company and it is carried out by Björn Kvarnström under supervision of Bjarne Bergquist and Kerstin Vännman in cooperation with staff at the research division of LKAB. The project has been presented in one conference presentation and as well as at several project meetings during the two academic years. Björn will defend his licentiate thesis May 16,

21 4.4 Leadership and Learning Organizations Leadership for Increased Commitment and Sustainable Health Costs connected to sick-leaves have increased to alarming levels in Sweden. There are several reasons for the sick-leaves, but one seems to be too small possibilities to influence the work and the working environment by the staff. However, there are organizations, in Sweden and elsewhere, in which top managers have used a leadership, which has created possibilities for the employees to take care of problems and improve the working environment. One example of this is the company Fresh in Gemla in Southern Sweden. Fresh, and others, have successfully managed to make everybody s commitment and committed leadership core values of their organisations. This project is studying and analysing experiences from successful organizations in order to identify key issues and key methodologies, which can also be of benefit for other organisations. The concept of partnership is used as a theoretical frame to explore decisive factors for increased commitment. In one project, with financial support from Vinnova (The Swedish Agency for Innovation Systems) Roland Harnesk and Karin Schön at our division have focused on small organizations. In another project, with financial support from Alecta, Åsa Wreder has studied how FöreningsSparbanken, one of Sweden s largest banks, has worked to achieve sustainable health. In the two projects also Ingela Bäckström and Pernilla Ingelsson from Mid-Sweden University (Mitthögskolan) in Östersund, and Yvonne Lagrosen from Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, have been involved. The projects within the area of leadership for increased commitment and sustainable health have resulted in several article and conference contributions, as well as licentiate theses by Roland Harnesk, Åsa Wreder and Ingela Bäckström TQM as a Support for Societal Development The domain of quality management is changing in many ways. There are examples in different countries, where communities and societies have transferred TQM concepts to community issues. Two outstanding Swedish examples of societal development based on quality management are the communities of Åseda and Seskarö by former colleague Maria Fredriksson. In a project called CIVIC (Cultural and Industrial Values in Change), with financial support from the European Union, including Mansfield in UK as an international partner, the experiences from Åseda and Seskarö have been used for societal development in Jokkmokk The SARAH project Between 1980 and 2003 the group of people aged 80 and older has increased by 81 percent in Sweden. The trend is similar in many other countries in Europe. At the same time, there is a medical paradox since more peoples lives can be saved due medical developments in modern health care simultaneously as better conditions make people live longer. This result in rising needs of care to the increasing numbers of patients. As concern eldercare, this demands more care to be provided at home and at distance from hospitals but with the support from competent professionals from different care authorities. One way to handle this situation is the use of information and communication technology (ICT), which enables people to communicate, gather information and interact with distance service without the limitations of time and space. Thus, ICT, has the potential to facilitate remote communication and the support of competent health care professionals to home-based care and improve the utilisation of resources, such as health care employees. However, ICT also compels changes of the processes, organisation and control systems of care and will imply changes in the work situation of health care employees. There are studies reporting a resistance of health care employees towards introduction of ICT in eldercare and a worry about dehumanised care. New technology may put new demands on the employees in terms of competence, autonomy, and flexibility. This in turn may create stress and affect work satisfaction and affect the quality of care that is provided negatively. 19