Manufacturing's strategic role and management practices: Evidence from colombian companies

Abstract

Operations Strategy (OS) is a long-term plan for Manufacturing/ Operations Systems (MOS), oriented toward the generation of distinct organizational advantages. Typically, OS studies have fixated on two components: content and process. However, Manufacturing's Strategic Role (MSR), despite its importance to MOS performance, has remained as a missing link in the OS field. As such, in the present chapter, MSR is explored, and the management practices adopted by a group of companies located in the Colombian coffee region are analyzed. Survey research is conducted for the verification of MSR influence on MOS performance, and the level of management practices used in manufacturing as well as their relationship with MSR is evaluated. Investigative results permit the conclusion that MSR is a new variable that should be integrated into the OS formulation process. The proposed MSR registered internal consistency and impact on MOS performance; therefore, in this study, MSR is highlighted as a fundamental component of the OS. The case study revealed that manufacturing management practices are different than those typically addressed in the investigative literature. These findings contribute to the advancement of OS study and report empirical evidence from the Colombian context.