Flying Parts: Best Practices in Organisational Innovation Following Implementation of New Technologies

Flying Parts, a mid-sized European component parts manufacturer for the aerospace industry, implemented a range of new technologies in the early 2000's when it become a Tier 1 subcontractor. The implementation of these new technologies triggered an organisational transformation: jobs and roles were redefined, a team structure replaced a hierarchical one, selected lean principle were introduced to increase quality and productvity, and employees became directly implicated in problem-solving, decision-making and innovation. Although absent from the company prior to these innovations, union clubs were invited by employees and welcomed by management when these transformation occurred. This company's successful transformation in becoming a Tier 1 subcontractor is described. This case briefly examines this innovations - technological, process and organisational - that were implemented in the company, as well as their impact on specific employee groups and the organisations as a whole.