Visual Management Implementation Strategy: An Analysis of Digital Whiteboards

Visual Management (VM) is a communication strategy in which a visual workplace for closerange communication is created by using easy-to-understand sensory devices. It is adopted to increase process transparency and self-management capacity. VM discussions have been mostly device-centred to date, being concerned with the development of new devices, or understanding the impact of different VM attributes for different purposes. Explorations of VM as a strategy have been limited. This paper outlines the key elements of one part of an overall VM strategy, namely the implementation strategy (i.e., planning, introducing, executing, monitoring, and controlling, maintaining, and improving, and removing). It is based on an empirical study on the use of a specific type of VM device (i.e., digital whiteboards) at an infrastructure engineering design and consultancy company in the UK. The main sources of evidence were surveys with key representatives of the company and participant observation in the development and implementation of the device. Findings indicate that adopting VM through a systematic implementation strategy with coherent plans and actions is important to enable its successful application. Moreover, some future research opportunities are pointed out, such as to expand and evaluate the definitions proposed, and to test them in different contexts and device types.