Unstructured Work Research Articles

How does the status of errant robot affect our desire for contact? – The moderating effect of team interdependence

Technological breakthroughs such as artificial intelligence and sensors make human-robot collaboration a reality. Robots with highly reliable, specialised skills gain informal status in collaborative teams, but factors such as unstructured work environments and task requirements make robot error inevitable. So how do status differences of errant robots affect the desire for contact, and do team characteristics also have an impact? This paper describes an intergroup experiment using the Experimental Vignette Method (EVM), based on the Expectation Violation Theory, 214 subjects were invited to test the following hypotheses: (1) Errant robot status has an influence on employees' desire for contact and support for robotics research through negative emotions; (2) Team interdependence is a boundary condition for the effect of errant robot status on negative emotions. This paper contributes to the literature on employee reactions to robot errors in human-robot collaboration and provides suggestions for robot status design.

Self-Organizing Type-2 Fuzzy Double Loop Recurrent Neural Network for Uncertain Nonlinear System Control.

Nonlinear systems, such as robotic systems, play an increasingly important role in our modern daily life and have become more dominant in many industries; however, robotic control still faces various challenges due to diverse and unstructured work environments. This article proposes a double-loop recurrent neural network (DLRNN) with the support of a Type-2 fuzzy system and a self-organizing mechanism for improved performance in nonlinear dynamic robot control. The proposed network has a double-loop recurrent structure, which enables better dynamic mapping. In addition, the network combines a Type-2 fuzzy system with a double-loop recurrent structure to improve the ability to deal with uncertain environments. To achieve an efficient system response, a self-organizing mechanism is proposed to adaptively adjust the number of layers in a DLRNN. This work integrates the proposed network into a conventional sliding mode control (SMC) system to theoretically and empirically prove its stability. The proposed system is applied to a three-joint robot manipulator, leading to a comparative study that considers several existing control approaches. The experimental results confirm the superiority of the proposed system and its effectiveness and robustness in response to various external system disturbances.

A cloud-edge computing architecture for monitoring protective equipment

The proper use of protective equipment is very important to avoid fatalities. One sector in which this has a great impact is that of construction sites, where a large number of workers die each year. In this sector as in others, employers are responsible for providing their employees with this equipment. In addition, employers must monitor and ensure its correct use. These tasks are usually performed using manual procedures. Existing tools to automate this process are unreliable and present scalability issues. In this paper, we research the benefits of using a cloud-edge computing architecture to automate the monitoring of protective equipment. The solution we propose successfully addresses all the problems that appear in hostile and unstructured work environments such as construction sites. Although these sites are used as a use case, the approach presented can also be deployed in other sectors with similar characteristics and restrictions.

Applicability of the Assessment Tool for Unstructured and Unregulated Work to Assessing Office Ergonomics

The prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) continues to increase among office workers. Appropriate and easy quantification of the predisposing factors are essential in developing and implementing interventions to prevent WMSD in this population. This requires the use of assessment methods that provide elaborate estimation of workers’ exposure to identified risk factors rather than an abridged sample of their work routine. This study tests with five bank tellers the Ergonomic Assessment tool for Unstructured and unregulated Work (EAUW) originally developed to provide duration and frequency estimations of risk factors in informal, non-routine work. The goal of this case study is to demonstrate the EAUW’s usefulness and applicability in office ergonomics assessment. The results indicate that the principles governing the EAUW (real time coding of risk factors) are applicable to office work assessment and promises to provide detailed estimation of risk factors when compared to existing job analysis tools.

Development of Shoulder Muscle-Assistive Wearable Device for Work in Unstructured Postures

The present study describes the development of a wearable device designed to assist those who work in an unstructured posture. In the manufacturing sector, industrial accidents have been steadily on the rise due to poor work environments and excessive workloads imposed on workers. Against this backdrop, the present study aimed to analyze various types of work, especially those performed in unstructured postures by heavy industry workers, who are frequently exposed to high workloads and poor work environments. Based on the analysis results, an attempt was made to develop a shoulder muscle-assistive wearable device capable of assisting a wearer who is working using their shoulder muscles. Various types of unstructured posture work are performed in heavy industries, including activities such as the welding and grinding of ship components and plant structures. They are typically conducted in narrow spaces with limited postures, causing many workers to suffer muscle fatigue. In the present study, as the first step of developing a shoulder muscle-assistive wearable device, different working scenarios were simulated, and the corresponding motion data and required torque values were estimated using motion capture devices. The obtained motion data and required torque values were reflected in the design of the wearable device. The main structural body of the shoulder muscle-assistive wearable device was made of a carbon fiber-reinforced composite to be lightweight. This shoulder muscle-assistive wearable device was designed to fully cover the range of motion for workers working in unstructured postures while generating the torque required for a given job, thereby enhancing the muscular endurance of the workers. The gravity compensation module of the designed shoulder muscle-assistive wearable device generates a support force of 4.47 Nm per shoulder. The shoulder muscle assistive wearable device was developed to provide support for approximately 30% of the shoulder joint’s maximum torque generated in overhead tasks. This shoulder muscle-assistive wearable device is expected to contribute to improving the productivity of field workers, while reducing the occurrence of musculoskeletal injuries arising from the aging of the working-age population.

Creation of Pari Tanyong

The objective of this creative research entitled “Creation of Pari Tanyong” was to compose Pari Tanyong using qualitative research methodology conducted by studying about the concepts, theories, academic subjects, related research, concepts and theories in Thai music, concepts and theories of Thai music composition, concepts and theories concept of aesthetics, concepts and theories of art creation, academic subjects about Tanyong songs including research related to Thai music composition in order to define the scope and process of composition. There were two types of tools in this research: unstructured interview forms and work assessment forms. Theresults were presented by using a traditional southern folk song (Rong-Ngeng).The researcher composed the melody using the amplified composition and creating an augmentation to 8 bars by dropping the melody to 8th bar which had the same sound at the end of the original melody. The newly composed melody was discussed by descriptive analysis. The results from the research process of creation of Pari Tanyong were
 1) consisted of melodies of 6 songs as follows: Cheerful song (Lagu-Dua song): an instrumental song consisting of 3-verse melodies and 4 sentences per verse.
 2) Joyous song (Soi Rakham): lyrics consisted of 1-verse melody and 6 sentences per verse.
 3) Yahong song: the researcher used the original melody in order to conform the tradition of Tanyong
 song consisting of 1-verse melody, 2 sentences per verse, and 2 bars.
 4) Relaxing song (Jingli Nona): an instrumental song consisting of the main melody and the ending melody, totaling 8 sentences.
 However, when assessing the suitability of the melody by 5 experts, it was found that there was a highly suitable level.
 
 Keywords: Creation, Southern folk song, Pari Tanyong, Tanyong songs, Thai music composition

Managing Your Boss (MYB) as a proactive followership behavior: Construct validation and theory development

AbstractEmployees can be proactive in establishing good working relationships with their managers to enhance their own effectiveness. We propose that an important way that they can do so is by engaging in behaviors we refer to as “Managing Your Boss” (MYB) that involve employees taking the initiative to understand their managers’ goals, needs, and working styles and adapt their job priorities and actions accordingly. We integrate theories on proactivity and followership to lay the conceptual foundation for the study of MYB. We underscore the conceptual distinctiveness of MYB from related constructs. Moreover, we propose that MYB can help employees improve their performance by enabling them to develop high quality leader‐member exchanges (LMX) and argue that these effects are amplified in unstructured work environments where jobs are not standardized or when managers fail to provide adequate task structure. Using 1313 working adults across a set of four studies and seven samples, we develop a validated measure of MYB, establish its nomological network, and demonstrate support for key elements of our theoretical model. We discuss the implications of our findings for research and practice.

Reliability and Validity of a Newly Developed Ergonomic Assessment Tool for Unstructured and Unregulated Work

Existing ergonomic assessment tools have been designed for routine and structured work making their use in informal work setting challenging due to the high variability in tasks performed by informal workers. The Ergonomic Assessment tool for Unstructured Work (EAUW) was developed by Acquah and colleagues to address this challenge. The tool is efficient and has good inter-observer reliability, but little information is known about its other psychometric properties. This paper assesses the reliability and validity of EAUW. Criterion validity was determined by comparing the EAUW with existing tools for a selected number of e-waste recycling tasks. Intra-observer reliability was determined by comparing observations from the same assessor 5 days apart. Results indicated a high intra-observer agreement for all exposure variables. Compared to existing tools which provide a snapshot of ergonomic exposures, the EAUW provides a more detailed estimate of work exposures between- and within-workers across time.

Assessing the Magnitude of Waste Material Using Lean Construction

Purpose: Wastage of construction material always results in cost overrun not only for the construction cost of the project but also for the management and disposal cost of such construction waste. It is interesting to evaluate the magnitude of waste material based on the lean construction approach. Design/Methodology/Approach: The present study adopted both primary as key informant interviews and secondary bills documents to analyze the Percentage of waste. Findings/Result: The findings reveal that average wastage of material with standard deviation for five construction projects: rebar (2.096±1.09), bricks (2.56±0.77), cement (2.82±0.672), sand (3.634±0.5325), and aggregate (7.486±4.76). Compared with the other similar studies, waste percentages found are quite low because of adopting the lean construction approaches in the construction site. In the project, some of the wastage can be recycled and reused so the percentage of waste material is low due to the implementation of lean construction approaches. The practice of various reuse strategies like use of broken bricks in soling, cut a piece of rebar in the casting of a large number of manholes manhole grating, waste sand in Hume pipe bedding and backfilling, etc. Expire cement are used in unstructured work, cover block and aggregate are used for different purpose of construction.. Originality/Value: The study contributes by illustrating situation of wastage to implement lean construction. Governmental agencies, clients, consultants, and contractors are interested in waste management in building construction projects. Paper Type: Action Research analysis

Structure‐aware multiple salient region detection and localization for autonomous robotic manipulation

This paper proposes a multiple salient region detection and localization approach for unstructured industrial robot work environments with arbitrarily located and orientated objects. Different from the existing, the authors' novel technique to detect multiple salient regions performs locally adaptive center-surround operations on proto-object partitions obtained through color consistency and spatial proximity analysis. The multi-scale center-surround operations are done by masks that are local structure-aware yielding regions with precise and accurate boundaries as required for robotic manipulation. First, experiments to evaluate the multiple salient region detection performance are carried out using four standard databases having images with multiple salient objects. Quantitative result analysis using F-measure, shuffled F-measure, shuffled AUC and MAE, and subjective result inspection suggests that the proposed approach is in general better at collectively detecting multiple salient regions than the state-of-the-art, including those based on deep learning. Then, real-life experiments involving robotic manipulation are carried out to demonstrate the utility of the multiple salient region detection method. For robotic manipulation, object localization is improved after salient region detection by employing a fast shadow detection algorithm proposed based on hue analysis, and recognition through existing matching techniques is applied only at the localized salient regions. The benefit of the novel multiple salient region detection approach in the robotic manipulation system is shown using localization and pose estimation accuracy, rates of detection and recognition, positional and angular errors, and processing speed.

Ergonomic Risk Assessment during an Informal Hand-Made Cookware Operation: Extending an Existing Model.

The work conducted in the informal sector is highly variable within and between days. Characterizing ergonomic exposures remains a challenge because of unstructured work settings and schedules. The existing ergonomic risk assessment tools have been widely used in formal work settings with a narrow range of exposure, and for predefined tasks that primarily constitute a daily routine. There is limited information in the literature on how they have been applied in informal workplaces. The aim of this study was to extend an existing risk assessment tool and to evaluate the applicability of the extended tool by assessing ergonomic exposure related to hand-made cookware operations. Eighteen hand-made cookware makers were recruited from six sites. A walkthrough risk assessment questionnaire was used to collect information on workers, tasks, work stations and workplace structures. The Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) screening tool was extended by including duration and vibration. An action priority matrix was used to guide intervention. According to the RULA action levels, the workers required investigation and changes soon, and immediate investigation and changes. The use of an action priority matrix was appropriate, and indicated that all the workers assessed were within the high to very high exposure domain and required immediate corrective measures. The methodology used proved to be an effective and reliable strategy for identifying ergonomic exposure among hand-made cookware makers.

How long are newcomers new in different occupations?

Purpose This study aims to examine the effects of occupational characteristics on the length of time required to socialize newcomers. The authors examine task mastery, role clarity and social acceptance as indicators of socialization. Design/methodology/approach To test the hypotheses, the authors used occupational data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and survey data of subject matter experts in 35 occupations. Findings Findings show that occupational differences account for a significant variance in the time needed to socialize newcomers. Across occupations, it takes longer to achieve task mastery than role clarity or social acceptance. Occupational complexity increases the time it takes for newcomers to attain task mastery, role clarity and social acceptance. Additionally, unstructured work and decision-making freedom increase the time it takes for newcomers to attain role clarity. Originality/value This study provides both theoretical and empirical guidance on the duration of the organizational socialization period. The study also provides empirical support for prior propositions that different types of newcomer learning occur at different rates.

Grasp Pose Detection Based on Shape Simplification

For robots in an unstructured work environment, grasping unknown objects that have neither model data nor RGB data is very important. The key to robotic autonomous grasping is not only in the judgment of object type but also in the shape of the object. We present a new grasping approach based on the basic compositions of objects. The simplification of complex objects is conducive to the description of object shape and provides effective ideas for the selection of grasping strategies. First, the depth camera is used to obtain partial 3D data of the target object. Then the 3D data are segmented and the segmented parts are simplified to a cylinder, a sphere, an ellipsoid, and a parallelepiped according to the geometric and semantic shape characteristics. The grasp pose is constrained according to the simplified shape feature and the core part of the object is used for grasping training using deep learning. The grasping model was evaluated in a simulation experiment and robot experiment, and the experiment result shows that learned grasp score using simplified constraints is more robust to gripper pose uncertainty than without simplified constraint.

Musculoskeletal Disorders in Unstructured, Unregulated Work: Assessment Methods and Injuries.

Unstructured and unregulated work is expanding fast among low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Furthermore, accumulation of urban waste resulting from overconsumption is a global concern. Hence, waste management and recycling have received increased attention. One specific waste category pertaining to electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) is growing at a higher rate than other waste streams. Recycling of e-waste is largely informal and disproportionately relies on LMICs, exposing workers to various occupational and environmental health risks. In order to promote safer work practices and limit a broad range of occupational health and safety concerns associated with informal manual work, the broader psychosocial and sociocultural environment also deserves attention. This symposium will discuss contemporary issues in informal, unregulated, unstructured work in LMICs, primarily in Africa and South America. The goal of the symposium is to call attention to both, the unique occupational context of informal work, and the need for new ergonomics methods to address occupational exposure assessment and musculoskeletal injury prevention adapted to informal work in limited resource settings.

Exploring technology attitudes and personal–cultural orientations as student readiness factors for digitalised work

PurposeEmerging forms of digitalisation are placing new demands on workforce entrants around the globe. This study, catalysed by innovation programs in Ukraine and Latvia, conceptualises, measures and compares key facets of dispositional readiness of university students in two post-Soviet nations for digitalised work.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data, addressing technology attitudes and personal–cultural orientations (PCO), were collected by project teams at universities in Ukraine and Latvia and delivered to the authors for analysis. The authors defined three characteristics of digitalised work, conceptually positioned five of the measured constructs as readiness factors and generated readiness profiles for the two national student cohorts. Investigation of significant differences between the groups was conducted using an Independent Samples T-Test. A composite profile was produced for comparing the overall dispositional readiness of both groups for digitalised work.FindingsThe factor-level profiles showed similar patterns of dispositional alignment and misalignment with digitalised work. For example, technology optimism and learning interest were reported by large percentages of Ukrainians and Latvians and tolerance for unstructured work by small percentages. However, significant differences were found in group levels of technology optimism, technology anxiety, ambiguity intolerance and empowered decision-making. In each case, the Ukrainian profile appeared more strongly aligned with the target.Practical implicationsThe global digitalisation of work requires students, educators, human resource professionals and business leaders to rethink workforce readiness assessment and adapt (re)training programs. Technology enthusiasm and learning interest should be regarded as crucial measurable attitudes motivating technical skills development. Also, cultural orientations should be positioned alongside personality traits and digital skills as factors shaping successful human–computer interaction.Originality/valueThis study initiates a new sociotechnical and cross-cultural trajectory of technology readiness research from data generated in two post-Soviet contexts. Moreover, it positions several measurable dispositions as factors influencing student readiness for digitalised work.

Development of a Robotic End-Effector for Apple Tree Pruning

HighlightsAn end-effector with two degrees of freedom (2R) was developed for pruning apple trees.A rational 2×2 relationship (R2 = 0.93) was found for ‘Fuji’ apple tree branch diameter and cutting force.Simulation showed that the cutter can be aligned in a wide range of orientations in a spherical workspace.The developed end-effector was able to cut branches up to 12 mm in diameter.Abstract. Robotics and automation technologies are now used extensively in agriculture, while production operations for tree fruit crops still largely depend on manual labor. Manual pruning is a labor-intensive and costly task in apple production. Robotic pruning is a potential solution, but it involves several challenges due to the unstructured work environment. This study focused on designing an end-effector prototype for pruning considering the maneuvering, spatial, mechanical, and horticultural requirements. Branch cutting force was measured with a thin force sensor to provide guidelines for the end-effector design. The test results indicated the relationship between the force required to cut different diameter branches with an R2 value of 0.93. The end-effector was developed using two rotary motors, a pneumatic cylinder, and a pair of bypass shear blades. A three-directional linear manipulator system and a control system were built for moving the end-effector to targeted locations. A mathematical model was developed for simulation of the workspace utilization and reachable points of the end-effector. The simulation results indicated that the end-effector can be aligned in a wide range of orientations of the cutter. Field tests were conducted for validation of the simulation results and performance assessment of the end-effector. The results indicated that the end-effector with the current parameter settings successfully cut branches up to 12 mm in diameter and was able to cut branches in a wide range of possible orientations in a given 3D space. The robotic end-effector developed in this study is a core component of an automated pruning system for fruit trees. In future work, an integrated manipulator system will be developed for branch accessibility with collision-free trajectories. Keywords: Malus × domestica (Borkh.), Pruning end-effector, Reachable-points simulation, Tree pruning.

Total rewards components and work happiness in new ventures

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of total rewards components (monetary, material and non-monetary) on happiness of employees working in Indian technology-based new ventures. Further, with the theoretical lens of social exchange theory, the mediating role of work engagement between total rewards perceptions and work happiness relationship has also been evaluated.Design/methodology/approachA survey of 201 employees working in Indian technology-based new ventures was conducted. Structural equation modeling was utilized to measure the proposed theoretical model. Regression analysis was conducted to test the direct effects of the hypothesized relationships. Sobel test and bootstrapping analysis were utilized to test the indirect effects of the proposed hypothesized relationship.FindingsThe findings supported the hypotheses that employees’ perceptions of total rewards have a significant impact on employee work engagement and happiness at work. However, individual component of total rewards, i.e. monetary rewards, demonstrated an insignificant impact on the employee work happiness. Work engagement was positively related to work happiness and fully mediated the relationship between total rewards perceptions and work happiness.Practical implicationsSpecial attention should be given to enhance the material and non-monetary rewards, specifically strengthening the feeling of appreciation, learning and growth opportunities and improving feedback functions. Given the challenges of new ventures (productivity and efficiency of talent), management of total rewards mix should be considered as the main concern of human resource (HR) managers and management (founders). The paper also provides important implications for designing a reward system that enhances employee productivity and efficiency in the unstructured and ambiguous work environment of new ventures.Originality/valueThe present study has significant contributions to the HR, entrepreneurship and positive psychology literature. It is an attempt to understand the association between total rewards components and work happiness via mediating mechanism, i.e. work engagement in new ventures. It also extends research in the entrepreneurial context. The emergence and growth of new ventures in India has meant a growing importance for understanding employees’ needs and expectations and guaranteeing their happiness. The findings of the study contribute to social exchange theory, Vroom’s expectancy and self-determination theory. This research is also a rare investigation of employees’ perspectives in an entrepreneurial context.

CHANGING THE PERSPECTIVE OF VIRTUAL WORK: BUILDING VIRTUAL INTELLIGENCE AT THE INDIVIDUAL LEVEL

Increasingly there is evidence that much virtual work takes place beyond traditionally studied contexts, arising organically as part of ongoing work flow. As this unstructured virtual work becomes ...

KINERJA UNIT DALAM MENDUKUNG PENGEMBANGAN FAKULTAS ILMU ADMINISTRASI UNIVERSITAS LANCANG KUNING

Performance Faculty of Administrative Sciences can be seen from the performance of employees. This study focuses on the performance of existing units in the Faculty of Administration in carrying out its main duties and functions in order to support the strengthening of Faculty's performance. But in reality the performance of existing units in the faculty of administration of the University of Lancang Kuning showed less satisfactory work. Indicators that are visible include unstructured unit work programs, inadequate facilities and infrastructure, limited budget support and weak leadership which are a constraint in motivating employees to do their job well. The objective of the study was to explain the performance of faculty units and their inhibiting factors. The research method uses qualitative with emphasis on the concept of performance measurement. The techniques used in data collection are observation, interview and documentation study. The results showed that the performance of the faculty unit has not run well, this is obtained from the measurement of performance indicators that include job performance, expertise, behavior and leadership. As for the inhibiting factors of faculty unit performance is the limited support of facilities, infrastructure and funding. Besides, the reward and punishment system has not been done to the employee job resulting in the employee's motivation in working to be reduced, besides it is necessary to be given guidance and training for the work unit to understand the duty and function properly.

Changing the Perspective of Virtual Work: Building Virtual Intelligence at the Individual Level

There is evidence that much virtual work takes place beyond traditionally studied contexts, arising organically as part of ongoing work flow. As this unstructured virtual work becomes increasingly ...