Title: A systems view of top management commitment

Authors: John Mackness

Addresses: Lancaster University, UK

Abstract: Top management commitment is regarded as essential to management initiatives such as total quality, effective resource management, just-in-time etc. Yet, the meaning of this commitment is not so straightforward. The changes associated with these initiatives cut across functional boundaries and many managers are not used to thinking beyond the functions to the processes that lie behind them. This paper investigates how a systems view, with properties such as |emergence|, |hierarchy|, |communication| and |control|, can help top managers prepare for change. The implied argument is that unless defensible statements can be made about all four properties, commitment cannot be assumed to exist.

Keywords: effective resource management; emergent properties; functional thinking; just-in-time; JIT; process thinking; systems analysis; top management commitment; total quality management; TQM.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.1992.025717

International Journal of Technology Management, 1992 Vol.7 No.4/5, pp.219 - 224

Published online: 24 May 2009 *

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