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

    Authors

    B. Sherehiy;W. Karwowski

    Comments

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    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

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