The Impact of Visual Management on Strategic Acceleration - Field Research

Abstract

The research aims to diagnose the theoretical gap between the existing intellectual theses and the possibility of application, identifying the impact of visual management in its dimensions (visual manifestation of problems, continuity of communication with reality, setting goals) on strategic acceleration in its dimensions (clarity of vision, focus on goals, implementation) and its effect through the inclusion of knowledge in its dimensions (knowledge routine, knowledge acquisition and dissemination, knowledge hierarchy and demarcation) in the Iraqi oil companies. The research was based in its methodology on describing and analyzing the phenomenon, testing its hypotheses in the Iraqi oil sector represented by (3) production oil companies in Baghdad. The research was applied to a sample of (151) individuals who participated in the activation of visual management distributed in several administrative levels (agency director, assistant, department manager, division officer, and other project managers and unit officers). The research used questionnaire as a main tool for data and information collection, as well as some quantitative data to support the findings. The research sought to answer the questions related to its problem by testing a number of main and sub-hypotheses regarding the levels of influence. The results showed the validity of the hypotheses at the applied level, and the most important of which was the effect of the dimensions of visual management in both the inclusion of knowledge and the strategic acceleration, except for the dimension of continuity of communication with reality, whose impact decreased in all dimensions. There is an effect of embedding knowledge in acceleration as well as exercising the role of micro and macro mediation at the individual and total levels, respectively, to enhance the impact of visual management in strategic acceleration. Based on this, I called on the Iraqi oil companies to take advantage of the harmony of visual management and its dimensions in the work environment, emphasizing on unraveling ambiguities by constantly communicating with events to diagnose treatments and expected benefits from improving operations.