Productivity Improvements in LIC Manufacturing Sectors: Multidimensional Evidence from Bangladeshi Garment Factories

LIC 制造业生产率的提高：来自孟加拉国服装厂的多维证据

• 批准号: ES/L012146/1
• 负责人: Atonu Rabbani
• 金额: $ 48.23万
• 依托单位: Innovations for Poverty Action
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2014 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ES%2FL012146%2F1
• 关键词: Productivity; Improvements; LIC; Manufacturing; Sectors

Manufacturing sectors in developing countries show a far greater dispersion in firm productivity and management practices than counterparts in high-income countries. Sustained increases in wages and employment creation depend on increases in productivity. This project aims to deepen our understanding of the process of productivity improvement in manufacturing firms in low-income countries (LICs) and to gain insights as to why productivity and innovation lag. We focus on the Bangladeshi RMG sector, the largest source of urban employment in Bangladesh. We study the effects of a training program developed and offered by Solutions for Management International (S4Mi), a not-for-profit consulting firm established as a part of DFID's Responsible and Accountable Garment Sector (RAGS) program. The S4Mi program has elements of training and consulting, with both classroom and in-factory components. S4Mi and the participating factories select a single pilot production line on which to focus. During the first year of the program, there are seven one-week classroom training sessions, four focused on production / planning and three on HR. Each classroom session is followed by in-factory activations, which focus on providing tools and developing a culture suitable for problem solving. Following the initial activation phase, the program is rolled out to other lines in the factory. Further dimensions of particular interest, therefore, are the determinants of the diffusion of practices across the lines.We incorporate a random selection of pilot lines to provide a valid comparison group prior to the factory-wide rollout. We combine extremely detailed productivity analysis with innovative survey and interview data. The productivity analysis provides an impact assessment of training provided as part of the project. Through the lens of the evaluation, the intense training offers an opportunity to observe a set of factories transitioning - or attempting to transition - internal processes and procedures. The survey and interview data will provide a unique window onto the internal processes of change that accompany the transition. A sample of the key questions we address is:a. Does the training program increase productivity, and, if so, do gains in productivity translate into better working conditions? b. Which share of taught practices are managers aware of at baseline? Are managers capable of predicting which practices will lead to improvement and which won't?c. Which factors affect diffusion of practices across lines? Do these factors differ depending on whether the suggested improvement comes from management or production floor workers? d. Which production lines and manager characteristics correlate with resistance to change?Mid-level management training is very commonly noted by key stakeholders as a critical bottleneck. Hence, there is demand for information about what works with regard to this training. We, the PIs, have been working on related projects in the sector in Bangladesh for more than two years. During this time, we have built important relationships with a number of foreign buyers (Tesco, Sainsbury's and H&M, for example), the industry associations (BGMEA and BKMEA), relevant government ministries (Commerce and Revenue), and foreign aid agencies (GIZ and DIFD). We will use these links both to inform the work during the project and to disseminate the results as we obtain them.While the project fits squarely in the innovation theme, there is an important gender component as well. An estimated 80% of workers in the garment sector are female. Improving productivity in the sector, therefore, has the potential to have a tremendous impact on incomes of and job opportunities for women, as well as to reduce their working hours and to afford them more stable jobs.

发展中国家的制造业部门在公司生产力和管理做法方面的差异比高收入国家的制造业部门大得多。工资的持续增长和创造就业取决于生产力的提高。本课题旨在加深对低收入国家（LIC）制造业企业生产率提高过程的理解，并深入探讨生产率和创新滞后的原因。我们专注于孟加拉国的RMG部门，这是孟加拉国城市就业的最大来源。我们研究了由国际管理解决方案（S4 Mi）开发和提供的培训计划的效果，S4 Mi是一家非营利性咨询公司，是英国国际发展部负责和负责的服装行业（RAGS）计划的一部分。S4 Mi计划包含培训和咨询元素，包括课堂和工厂组件。S4 Mi和参与的工厂选择一条试点生产线作为重点。在该计划的第一年，有七个为期一周的课堂培训课程，四个侧重于生产/规划，三个侧重于人力资源。每个课堂课程之后是工厂激活，重点是提供工具和发展适合解决问题的文化。在初始激活阶段之后，该程序将推广到工厂的其他生产线。因此，特别感兴趣的其他维度是实践在生产线上传播的决定因素。我们在工厂范围内推广之前，随机选择试点生产线，以提供有效的比较组。我们联合收割机将极其详细的生产率分析与创新的调查和访谈数据相结合。生产力分析提供了对作为项目一部分提供的培训的影响评估。通过评估的透镜，密集的培训提供了一个机会，观察一组工厂过渡-或试图过渡-内部流程和程序。调查和访谈数据将提供一个独特的窗口，了解伴随过渡而来的内部变革进程。我们解决的关键问题的一个例子是：a。培训计划是否提高了生产力？如果是，生产力的提高是否转化为更好的工作条件？B.管理者在基线时知道哪些教学实践份额？管理者是否能够预测哪些实践会带来改进，哪些不会？C.哪些因素影响跨行业推广做法？这些因素是否因建议的改进来自管理层或生产车间工人而有所不同？D.哪些生产线和管理者特征与变革阻力相关？关键利益攸关方普遍认为，中层管理人员培训是一个严重的瓶颈。因此，需要了解在这种培训方面什么是有效的。我们，PI，两年多来一直致力于孟加拉国该部门的相关项目。在此期间，我们与许多外国买家（例如Tesco、Sainsbury's和H&M）、行业协会（BGMEA和BKMEA）、相关政府部门（商务部和税务部）以及外国援助机构（GIZ和DIFD）建立了重要关系。我们将利用这些链接在项目期间为工作提供信息，并在获得成果时传播成果。虽然该项目完全符合创新主题，但也有重要的性别组成部分。据估计，服装业80%的工人是女性。因此，提高该部门的生产力有可能对妇女的收入和就业机会产生巨大影响，并减少她们的工作时间，为她们提供更稳定的工作。