zbornik radova (.pdf 11,5 MB) - Hrvatsko društvo inženjera sigurnosti

a Note: Data for Global average (GL) 2008, North America (NA)2006, and European Union 15 (EU) 2006) are calculated uponresults from management tools research [23, 24]. Data forSlovenia are from own research. Abbreviation t stands for tightresult.International comparison of ranks, calculated on average use, reveals different priorities ofmanagement tools use in selected western economies, i.e., North America and Europe, and CentralEurope country, i.e., evidence from Slovenia.DISCUSSION AND PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONSOur findings are in line with [24, 25] cognitions that higher proportion of employees use and arefamiliar with well known and commonly used tools, while employees are less familiar with new tools.A word of caution is needed when concluding about actual use of management tools. For instance,employees know management tools, but don’t use it. Those are tools that are either used only bymanagers at designated management level (e.g., strategic planning) or are used very seldom and inspecific situations (e.g., mergers and acquisitions).Identified pattern of management tools use in selected western economies, put the emphasis onorganizations’ long-term orientation, searching for best practice using benchmarking in frame ofincremental changes and continuous improvements, and focus on building relationships withcustomers and increasing their satisfaction. Those findings are in line with contemporaryorganization’s orientation, that emphasis strengthening relationships with customers [10, 19, 34],continuous improvements and concern for long-term orientation [2, 4, 28].On the other hand in Slovenia are in the forefront tools supporting organizational optimization. Thus atthe pedestal are outsourcing, benchmarking, core competencies, and knowledge management. Usingsuch combination of tools clearly indicates organizational focus on eliminating of non-value added,non-core and unnecessary activities and searching for best practices outside organizations.Supplementary, organizations are also searching and developing their competences that enable morecompetitive work force. In addition to that, great emphasis is also on knowledge management thathelps organizations to accumulate and disseminate knowledge among employees. Identified pattern ofmanagement tools use in Slovenia thus indicate unfinished organizational transformation that hasstarted two decades ago, and hadn’t finished yet [12, 17, 20, 29].Based on knowing current state of management tools use among employees, having insight into futurereadiness of employees to use management tools and patterns of management tools use in western welldeveloped economies, we can draw following practical implications.First, from the perspective of catching up economy from Central Europe knowing pattern ofmanagement tool use in well developed western economies could serve as guideline for futureutilization of management tools. This means that organizations can put focus on those tools, which areneeded for successful performance, according to use in western economies. Second, knowing patternof management tools use in Central Europe is also useful for foreign organizations, that want to enterat that market, e.g., especially when entering as strategic partners and in mergers and acquisitions, andwant to change current pattern of management tool use.We can summarize that changing pattern of management tool use could help organizations to betteradhere to the current economic conditions and need of the customers. Thus, knowing current use ofmanagement tools in Central Europe and western economies represent a bias for establish a plan forfuture use of management tools, but is not enough for successful process of changing priorities aboutmanagement tools use in organizations.Before deciding about changing a pattern of management tools use, a review of actual state oforganizations, its long-term direction, business processes and other activities must be done. Based onthose cognitions, management must decide upon most appropriate strategy for changing priorities in102M&S 8(2013)