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• Module overview
• 1. Introduction to logistics
  • 1.1. The logistics concept
    • 1.1.1 A question of definition
    • 1.1.2 Technological context
  • 1.2. Evolution of modern business logistics
    • 1.2.1 Materials management or supply-side logistics
    • 1.2.2 Physical distribution or demand-side logistics
    • 1.2.3 The total logistics concept
  • 1.3 Logistics, the critical interfaces

• 2. Supply side logistics: Procurement and materials management

  • 2.1 Materials management
    • 2.1.1 Purchasing and procurement
    • 2.1.2 Production control
    • 2.1.3 Warehousing and storage
    • 2.1.4 Data and information systems
  • 2.2 Quality in logistics
    • 2.2.1 Total quality management
    • 2.2.2 Benchmarking
  • 2.3 Kanban
  • 2.4 Measurement and evaluation
  • 2.5 MRP 1 and 2

• 3. Demand side logistics: Forecasting and order processing

  • 3.1 Customer order processing
  • 3.2 Environmental scanning
    • 3.2.1 The environments
    • 3.2.2 Approaches to scanning
  • 3.3 Logistics needs forecasting
  • 3.4 Lead time components
  • 3.5 Enhancing forewarning of demand

• 4. Inventory management and control

  • 4.1 Basic concepts and rationale for inventory holding
  • 4.2 Inventory costs
    • 4.2.1 Managing inventory costs
    • 4.2.2 Push and pull control methods
  • 4.3 Types of inventory
  • 4.4 Inventory management
    • 4.4.1 Inventory management systems
    • 4.4.2 Computers and inventory management
  • 4.5 Inventory management and business success

• 5. Storage facilities, materials handling equipment and packaging

  • 5.1 The management of warehouses and distribution centres
    • 5.1.1 Storage alternatives
    • 5.1.2 Warehouse design
    • 5.1.3 Productivity associated with warehousing
    • 5.1.4 Warehouse information systems
  • 5.2 Materials handling
    • 5.2.1 Objectives of material handling
    • 5.2.2 Materials handling systems and equipment
    • 5.2.3 Materials handling productivity ratios
  • 5.3 Packaging
    • 5.3.1 The role of packaging
    • 5.3.2 Packaging materials
    • 5.3.3 Packaging design considerations

• 6. Physical distribution transportation system

  • 6.1 The role of transportation in logistics
  • 6.2 Economic and service characteristics of the modes of transport
    • 6.2.1 Rail
    • 6.2.2 Road
    • 6.2.3 Air
    • 6.2.4 Water
    • 6.2.5 Pipeline
  • 6.3 Intermodal transport services
  • 6.4 Transportation cost structures
  • 6.5 Transportation rate profiles
  • 6.6 Modal and carrier selection
  • 6.7 Management of the transport function

• 7. Change and transformation

  • 7.1 Nature of change
    • 7.1.1 The manager's role and change
    • 7.1.2 Transformation and change continuums
    • 7.1.3 Responding late in the change continuum
    • 7.1.4 Rapid change continuum cycles
    • 7.1.5 Increasing organisational responsiveness and agility
  • 7.2 Scale and pace of change
    • 7.2.1 Leading rapid change
  • 7.3 Stages of change
    • 7.3.1 The stages of change and approaches to management
    • 7.3.2 Change and the organisation's development stage
  • 7.4 Communicating change
    • 7.4.1 Guidelines for communicating change
    • 7.4.2 Communicating change to stakeholders

• 8. Building agility and responsiveness

  • 8.1 Organisational agility and the art of rapid change
  • 8.2 Agility and transformational leadership
    • 8.2.1 Transactional Leadership
    • 8.2.2 Transformational Leadership
  • 8.3 Agility and organisational responsiveness
    • 8.3.1 Principles for Constructive Change
    • 8.3.2 Agility and environmental attunement
  • 8.4 Organisational learning and enhanced agility
    • 8.4.1 Learning and organisational life cycles
    • 8.4.2 Double loop learning and the learning organisation
    • 8.4.3 The learning cycle
    • 8.4.4 Leading learning from being adaptive to generative

• 9. Foster innovation and creativity

  • 9.1 Innovation and agility
  • 9.2 Levels of innovation and their impact
    • 9.2.1 Innovation
    • 9.2.2 Improvement
    • 9.2.3 Re-engineering
    • 9.2.4 Reinventing
    • 9.2.5 Re-engineering
  • 9.3 Re-engineering and business process re-engineering
    • 9.3.1 Reengineering and quality improvement
    • 9.3.2 Identifying when to re-engineer processes
    • 9.3.3 To innovate slowly or reengineer?
  • 9.4 The need for speed
  • 9.5 Organise work to facilitate innovative practices and organisational agility
    • 9.5.1 Innovative and agile organisation
  • 9.6 Enhancing diversity and creativity of thinking in teams and work practices
    • 9.6.1 Convergent and divergent thinking
    • 9.6.2 Left- and right- brain activities
    • 9.6.3 How to generate new ideas?
  • 9.7 Creativity and solutions search in teams
    • 9.7.1 Brainstorming
    • 9.7.2 Synectics
    • 9.7.3 Forcing Techniques
    • 9.7.4 Nominal Technique
  • 9.8 Review the use of innovation in work and team practices.
    • 9.8.1 Assess the ability of the team to achieve goals
    • 9.8.2 Review the success of team leadership

7.1.1 The manager's role and change

To be able to consider what role one can play in the change process, we must first understand the nature of change, what causes change in organisations and how it affects us as individuals. The following two exercises explore this concept and set some assumptions and concepts we can explore in later parts of this study guide.

Activity 1

Take time to do this exercise alone and then confirm the details with a group of workplace or study colleagues.

1. Identify four organisations that have undergone a major change recently.
2. What was the change?
3. What was the cause of the change?
4. Were the causes of the change internal or external to the organisation?
5. Summarise the key factors that caused these changes?

Activity 2

Take time to do this exercise alone and then confirm the details with a group of workplace or study colleagues.

1. Reflect on any changes that you have faced over the past two years and then choose the change that most impacted on you (preferably in a work-based context).
2. How did the change make you feel? How did you react to it?
3. How did you deal with it? Are you now better able to cope with change and contribute to future change processes?

Hints
No two change initiatives will be the same, however, there are some common actions managers can undertake to enhance successful implementation of change programs. Peter Dunphy also suggests a 'check list' for change:

• Clear objectives .
• Realistic and limited scope .
• Informed awareness - awareness for the need for change is built, and commitment to it and agreement about the general directions for change developed.
• Selection of appropriate intervention strategies - these are chosen to be appropriate for the goals of the program, and adapted to the situation, people, technology and resources available.
• Good timing - changes are timely and the pace of change is fast enough to provide a sense of progress but not so fast that people are unable to absorb it.
• Participation - the program is introduced and explained to staff who are then involved in its development and implementation. They have time to consider and discuss it and to find solutions to problems or issues arising from these discussions.
• Support from key power groups - senior management and unions support the program and provide clear policy guidelines and authoritative backing.
• Use existing power structure - staff at all levels take initiatives in making changes within their own spheres of responsibility. Decision making is well organised. Projects are run by those involved. Change agents are widely respected throughout the organisation.
• Open assessment beforehand - there is realistic assessment and open dialogue concerning the ways in which the proposed changes may affect the interests of those involved, and issues of concern are discussed and negotiated. Objections are dealt with seriously and equitable distribution of consequent economic gains are negotiated beforehand.
• Majority support - proposed changes are welcomed by the majority. The changes will reduce present difficulties and key interests will be protected.
• Competent staff support - a number of skilled, highly motivated and credible staff are available to provide temporary support to areas whose resources are stressed in the change process.
• Integrated - new methods are developed which are evaluated and integrated into everyday operations if successful.
• Transfer and diffusion of successful innovations - successful small scale or pilot programs are used to seed and introduce change elsewhere in the organisation.
• Continuing modification - the program is kept open to revision and reconsideration as experience and results indicate that further modifications are desirable. (Dunphy, 1981)

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