Title

The relationship between work organization and workforce agility in small manufacturing enterprises

Authors

Authors

B. Sherehiy;W. Karwowski

Comments

Authors: contact us about adding a copy of your work at STARS@ucf.edu

Abbreviated Journal Title

Int. J. Ind. Ergon.

Keywords

Workforce agility; Work organization; Small manufacturing enterprise; Adaptive workforce; Macroergonomics; Organizational change; SUPPLY CHAIN; LEAN PRODUCTION; MEDIATING ROLE; JOB DESIGN; PERFORMANCE; MODEL; BEHAVIORS; FRAMEWORK; INFRASTRUCTURE; DETERMINANTS; Engineering, Industrial; Ergonomics

Abstract

Organizational agility requires development of an adaptable workforce that is able to deal with unexpected and dynamic changes in the business environment. However, little research has been done on the attributes and characteristics of workforce agility. Even less is known about what organization characteristics are conducive to the agile performance of employees. The main goal of this study was to explore the effect of agile strategies on work organization and employees' performance. A total of 41 managers, 82 office workers, and 52 production workers from six small manufacturing companies participated in the study. Three questionnaires, including Agility Strategy Scale, Work Organization Scale, and Workforce Agility Scale, were used for the purpose of data collection. The results support a hypothesized relationship between management strategies focused on agility development, work characteristics, and workforce agility. The results also reveal that autonomy at work is one of the most important predictors of workforce agility. A combination of job demands and job uncertainty had a significant effect on workforce agility. The study also suggests that developing strong cooperative relationships within an organization and with customers and suppliers promotes workforce agility in small manufacturing enterprises. Relevance to industry: This paper investigated organizational practices that were conducive to implementing agile management and strategies in small manufacturing enterprises. The study results can be used for optimizing work demands and conditions in the workplace environments that require constant change and adaptation. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Journal Title

International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics

Volume

44

Issue/Number

3

Publication Date

1-1-2014

Document Type

Article

Language

English

First Page

466

Last Page

473

WOS Identifier

WOS:000336186900017

ISSN

0169-8141

Share

COinS