Subject index

Abstract

This research regards assembly systems as complex sociotechnical systems, wherein knowledge workers are operators of and within the system. To ground the research empirically, an exploratory case study is used, which focuses on complexity and problem analysis in the redesigning of a high variety assemble-to-order process. The influence of product variety on the assembly process is first examined using an etic approach by applying ANOVA methods to production data to test the impact of product type (268 unique assemblies) and product platform (8 unique product platforms) on the variability in productivity. In the case study, 53.59% of the productivity variability is accounted for by product variety (or 20.77% by product platform). To inquire into other influences on complexity and problems in the assembly process, work, and system, a sociotechnical emic approach is engaged with interviews of 8 knowledge workers in 6 different roles. Using emic coding, 26 areas of concern arise for the assembly process and associated work with three problem areas (process, layout, and training). These codes are mapped to the assembly process stages and visualized as nodes, then analyzed using graph theory and an adapted usability curve. From this analysis, 8 critical problem foci are identified, to further inform the problem analysis and redesign of the assembly system. The emic approach helps to uncover relationships and interactions contributing to complexity that were concealed in the etic analysis. The emic methodology used in this research lends itself to generalizability to examine problem analysis when an integrative sociotechnical approach may prove useful.