The missing link between local and global best practices within manufacturing

Paper in proceeding, 2015

This paper takes a knowledge-based view on operations strategy and investigate how local best practices (LBPs) are used as contributors for identification and evaluation of a manufacturing global best practice (GBP). Semi-structured interviews with 14 respondents at seven multinational companies concluded that LBPs and GBPs are transferred by different mechanisms. LBPs are rarely used as contributors to GBPs but rather stay internal among local sites. GBPs more often concern development of systems and frameworks and are thereby less concerned with context. The importance of including local knowledge and practices and use existing internal resources to reach competitive advantages are emphasised.