Biography
Professor Easton was formerly Associate Professor, Department of MS/CIS, Faculty of Management, Rutgers University, and Associate Professor of Statistics and Quality Management, Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago before joining the Goizueta Business School Faculty in 1996. His research interests include quality management and statistical methodology. He is also Editor of the Quality Management Journal published by the American Society for Quality Control. Professor Easton has worked extensively with industry in both quality management and statistics. He served as an Examiner for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 1989 and 1990 and a Senior Examiner in 1991 and 1992.
Education
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PhD in StatisticsPrinceton University
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Master's in StatisticsPrinceton University
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Master's in Operations Research and Systems AnalysisUniversity of North Carolina
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Bachelor's in Mathematics and ZoologyDuke University
Team leader experience in improvement teams: A social networks perspective
Journal of Operations Management
February 23, 2025
2015
In this research, we disentangle the relationship between several key aspects of a team leader's experience and the likelihood of improvement project success. Using the lens of socio-technical systems, we argue that the effect of team leader experience derives from the social system as well as the technical system. The aspects of team leader experience we examine include team leader social capital (a part of the social system) and team leader experience leading projects of the same type (a part of the technical system).
In this research, we disentangle the relationship between several key aspects of a team leader's experience and the likelihood of improvement project success. Using the lens of socio-technical systems, we argue that the effect of team leader experience derives from the social system as well as the technical system. The aspects of team leader experience we examine include team leader social capital (a part of the social system) and team leader experience leading projects of the same type (a part of the technical system).
Enterprise Content Management Should Be Academic
International Journal of Management and Information Systems
February 23, 2025
2014
The ‘digital divide’ that was formed by a curriculum that affords no direct exposure to any business-oriented enterprise content management system and the surprising ubiquity and dependency on enterprise content management systems in business provided the motivation to class-test SharePoint as a surrogate for a university-supported course management system.
The ‘digital divide’ that was formed by a curriculum that affords no direct exposure to any business-oriented enterprise content management system and the surprising ubiquity and dependency on enterprise content management systems in business provided the motivation to class-test SharePoint as a surrogate for a university-supported course management system.
Effects of Total Quality
The Practice of Quality Management
February 23, 2025
2013
This article explores the impact of the adoption of total quality management techniques on the performance of a pilot sample of 39 U.S. firms. Actual performance is compared to an improved benchmark performance measure of how the firms would have performed had they not adopted TQM. The findings indicate that performance, as measured by profit margin, return on assets, asset-use efficiency, and stock returns, is marginally better for firms that have implemented TQM. For a subsample of firms identified as having clearly more mature and well-integrated quality management approaches, the improved performance result is noticeably and consistently stronger.
This article explores the impact of the adoption of total quality management techniques on the performance of a pilot sample of 39 U.S. firms. Actual performance is compared to an improved benchmark performance measure of how the firms would have performed had they not adopted TQM. The findings indicate that performance, as measured by profit margin, return on assets, asset-use efficiency, and stock returns, is marginally better for firms that have implemented TQM. For a subsample of firms identified as having clearly more mature and well-integrated quality management approaches, the improved performance result is noticeably and consistently stronger.
The role of experience in six sigma project success: An empirical analysis of improvement projects
Journal of Operations Management
February 23, 2025
2012
Recent learning-by-doing research highlights the importance of examining multiple measures of experience and their relationship to the performance of work teams. Our paper studies the role of individual experience, organizational experience, team leader experience, and experience working together on a team (team familiarity) in the context of improvement teams. To do so, we analyze successful and failed six sigma improvement team projects at a Fortune 500 consumer products manufacturer with multiple business groups. Such improvement project teams focus on deliberate learning, which differs from the primary focus of work teams.
Recent learning-by-doing research highlights the importance of examining multiple measures of experience and their relationship to the performance of work teams. Our paper studies the role of individual experience, organizational experience, team leader experience, and experience working together on a team (team familiarity) in the context of improvement teams. To do so, we analyze successful and failed six sigma improvement team projects at a Fortune 500 consumer products manufacturer with multiple business groups. Such improvement project teams focus on deliberate learning, which differs from the primary focus of work teams.