Behavioral management aspects of organizational effectiveness : a comparison between lean implemented textile firms and apparel firms in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to compare behavioral management aspects of the organizational effectiveness between lean implemented textile firms and apparel firms in Sri Lanka. The organizational effectiveness is measured through Participation in Decision Making (PDM), Perceived Organizational Support (POS), Social Exchange Process (SEP), Economic Exchange Process (EEP), Effective Commitment (AC), Continuance Commitment (CC), Job Satisfaction (JS), Turnover Intention(TI) and Job Involvement (Jl). Although numerous empirical studies pertaining to the textile and apparel industry has been published, relatively little is known about behavioral management concepts in textile and apparel firms in Sri Lanka. Many elements of the present consensus developed from studies of West may not be directly applicable to developing countries. It is likely that differences in macro-environmental factors, such as national culture, may render the commonly accepted Western notions of behavioral management concepts less appropriate in Asian developing nations such as Sri Lanka. A sample of four textile firms and four apparel firms that have implemented lean manufacturing techniques was selected for the study. A random sample of 358 shop-floor employees from the above eight firms responded. The self-administrated survey questionnaire was used for data collection. The data analysis was conducted using SPSS. The findings showed significant differences between textile firms and apparel firms in terms of organizational effectiveness. For all the concepts tested, lean implemented apparel firms showed better organizational effectiveness than lean implemented textile firms.