Check Teck Foo
System & Engineering Management, School of Mechanical &
Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
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Published in: 10th QMOD Conference. Quality Management and Organiqatinal Development. Our Dreams of Excellence; 18-20 June; 2007 in Helsingborg; Sweden
Linköping Electronic Conference Proceedings 26:27, p.
Published: 2008-02-15
ISBN:
ISSN: 1650-3686 (print), 1650-3740 (online)
Purpose: Technology is now fast transforming how we are to supply within both the services and manufacturing industries. Also with virtual reality technology rapidly becoming available – much user friendlier and affordable - the next challenge is to supply not products but dreams. The purpose here is to explore the possibilities in the manufacturing of dreams of customers.
Methodology: Instead of drawing on psychological literature; the author taps on deep Indian philosophy in exploring the meaning of the unconscious; dreams. Using the ancient; Indian OM [as a glyph in Sanskrit] - widely accepted in spiritual circles as the primordial sound of the Universe - symbolism as a metaphor; the author suggests that deep dimensions of competition --- and roots for future excellence may lie in meeting products that are dreams of customers.
Findings: The author then explores from the Indian conceptualization of dreams to the current practices in supplying the products customers through supply chain management. He finds that large corporations are in an age of knowledge-driven economy; more members of a supply or rather; innovation driven chain. Perhaps chain is too rigid; sequential a word. A better metaphor may be as part of a molecular structure; one that interconnects one organization with several other firms globally.
Research limitations: The community of global manufacturers has yet to clearly realize that the key driver behind the customers’ relentless pursuit of quality and best prices --- and as is argued here; increasingly; their dreams lying hidden within the realms of their unconscious.
Implications: At present; there appears to emerge a polarization in terms of organizing of functions: conceptualization of product in the US; with services (soft but labor intensive aspects) in India and the hard; implementation and manufacturing as well as production routed to China. The full impact of what is discussed in this paper will be realized later when global manufacturers seek to conceptualize products not just for the US markets but also for the swelling demand in China and India.
Originality and Value of Paper: With the rapid rise of both Indian and Chinese economies with impact on global management; it is essential for scholars to integrate ancient philosophy. Given the tremendous pressures to meet demand of the future; interactions-oriented; internet-based customers; manufacturing organizations may have to design newer; technology-enabling forms of organizing.
Artificial Manufacturer; Dream Products; Om; Organizing Manufacturing; Technology
