Abstract
This article condenses the key findings of qualitative studies on assembly work. Grounded conceptually in considerations of the role of experiential knowledge and living labor capacity with regard to informal expertise and tacit knowledge, the empirical results challenge the dominant view of assembly work as routine tasks that could easily be replaced by robotics. The empirical basis comprised of 62 qualitative interviews in five assembly plants provides answers to two questions: Are there non-routine aspects to be found in assembly work today? What exactly is the nature of experience in assembly work? The detailed research results are presented in three steps: the first focuses on the role of the non-routine in core assembly tasks; the second discusses the important and increasing role played by interactive capabilities in assembly work to ensure high performance, quality, and a smooth material flow; and the third highlights the usually neglected role of assembly workers in processes of innovation and organizational learning. The concluding chapter discusses the findings from the perspective of new technological options in robotics, possible worker resistance and effects on employment.
Highlights
This article condenses the key findings of qualitative studies on assembly work
Even a glance at the good old industrial robot finds the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) looking forward to a shining future: does the world market show “another all-time high sales record with a growth rate of 15 percent” in 2014, similar growth rates are expected up to 2017, and still “the best is yet to come in the decades” [6] (p. 3)
Work in particular, which even in mass production often is still characterized by human work and hybrid or mere manual tasks, seems to be under pressure from technologically new and less expensive robotic approaches
Summary
This article condenses the key findings of qualitative studies on assembly work. Grounded conceptually in considerations of the role of experiential knowledge and living labor capacity with regard to informal expertise and tacit knowledge, the empirical results challenge the dominant view of assembly work as routine tasks that could be replaced by robotics. The empirical basis comprised of 62 qualitative interviews in five assembly plants provides answers to two questions: Are there non-routine aspects to be found in assembly work today? They have been around for some time in industrial production and assembly, robots have for decades had less attention than they receive nowadays, and they are expected to spread to other and less manufactural realms in the near future. Work in particular, which even in mass production often is still characterized by human work and hybrid or mere manual tasks, seems to be under pressure from technologically new and less expensive robotic approaches. Shows in his impressive comparative historical review of the 100-year industrial history, the assembly line today “in a new form is more productive than ever,” thanks to robotics
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