Abstract
What happens to front-line worker behavior when manufactures replace analog work methods with digitalized tools? Considering the current extent and speed of manufacturing and shop-floor digitalization, this important question remains under-represented. In this paper, we study the implementation of so-called “digital Shop Floor Management” (dSFM) systems in five advanced European manufacturing plants. Shop floor management refers to a collection of practices and routines implemented to monitor, steer, and improve production processes at the factory floor. Traditional shop floor management relies largely on lean principles that favor analog and on-site pen-and-paper methods. Seeking to make these processes more efficient, many manufactures are replacing analog methods with new digital dSFM technologies, such as digital dashboards, smart watches, and decision support systems using artificial intelligence. However, our observations give reason to believe that this transition is riddled with paradoxes that stem partly from incompatibilities between the intention of shop floor management and the capabilities of digital technologies. For example, we find evidence that digital technology – a measure that increases the autonomy of production workers – also paradoxically favors stricter control by management. We uncovered these trends in interviews among 30 managers and shop-floor workers of manufacturing companies located in central Europe and discuss our observations in light of paradox theory. Our main contribution is a behavioral paradox perspective on process improvement and digitalization of manufacturing processes.
Published Version
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