The human aspects of organizational change in semiconductor manufacturing

The changing environment in today's semiconductor industry is requiring manufacturers to look beyond technology and productivity improvement initiatives to remain competitive. The rapid influx of technology innovation and a worldwide capacity which is leading demand is driving manufacturers to shorter product life cycles and reduced price structures. To obtain competitive product introduction lead-times and cost structures, semiconductor manufacturers are migrating to joint ventures in "co-opetiton" (cooperative competition). These joint ventures are presenting multi-cultural issues that manufacturers must address from the human aspect to successfully implement the necessary organizational changes and effectively compete in the industry.