Tavana, M, Shaabani, A and Valaei, N (2020) An Integrated Fuzzy Framework for Analyzing Barriers to the Implementation of Continuous Improvement in Manufacturing. International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management. ISSN 0265-671X

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Abstract

Purpose – Delivering premium services and quality products are critical strategies for success in manufacturing. Continuous improvement (CI), as an underlying foundation for quality management, is an ongoing effort allowing manufacturing companies to see beyond the present to create a bright future. We propose a novel integrated fuzzy framework for analyzing the barriers to the implementation of CI in manufacturing companies.
Design/methodology/approach – We use the fuzzy failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) and a fuzzy Shannon’s entropy to identify and weigh the most significant barriers. We then use fuzzy multi-objective optimization based on ratio analysis (MOORA), the fuzzy technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), and fuzzy simple additive weighting (SAW) methods for prioritizing and ranking the barriers with each method. Finally, we aggregate these results with Copeland’s method and extract the main CI implementation barriers in manufacturing.
Findings – We show “low cooperation and integration of the team in CI activities” is the most important barrier in CI implementation. Other important barriers are “limited management support in CI activities,” “low employee involvement in CI activities,” “weak communication system in the organization,” and “lack of knowledge in the organization to implement CI projects.”
Originality/value – We initially identify the barriers to the implementation of CI through rigorous literature review and then apply a unique integrated fuzzy approach to identify the most important barriers based on the opinions of industry experts and academics.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	The AAM is deposited under the above licence and any reuse is allowed in accordance with the terms outlined by the licence. To reuse the AAM for commercial purposes, permission should be sought by contacting permissions@emeraldinsight.com.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	1503 Business and Management
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > HF5001 Business
Divisions:	Business & Management (from Sep 19)
Publisher:	Emerald
Date Deposited:	10 Mar 2020 11:38
Last Modified:	04 Sep 2021 07:44
DOI or ID number:	10.1108/IJQRM-06-2019-0196
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/12448

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