TY - JOUR

T1 - Digitalization of shop floor management

T2 - In blissful ignorance of superfluous work

AU - Mathiasen, John Bang

AU - de Haas, Henning

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © World Scientific Publishing Co.

PY - 2021/9

Y1 - 2021/9

N2 - With the purpose of understanding the extent of superfluous work and, thereby, suggesting managerial opportunities for reducing superfluous work, this paper focuses on decision-making processes at the shop floor level in digitalized manufacturing companies. Superfluous work is a kind of hidden waste and comprises the gap between necessary work and the work that is actually carried out, either on handling daily tasks at the shop floor, accomplishing decision-making processes, or implementing workarounds. By using an abductive approach, the research systematically combines a theoretical conceptualization of shopfloor decision-making processes in smart-manufacturing with an empirical enquiry into a highly digitalized manufacturing company. The paper reveals superfluous work if the decision-making process involves collaboration across disciplines and/or organizational boundaries. Superfluous work occurs because of a lack of data and information to guide re°ective thinking and knowledge sharing. In relation to highly complex decision-making, the ongoing implementation of workarounds also causes superfluous work. Prerequisites for reducing superfluous work are enhancing the accessibility of applicable data to guide re°ective thinking and knowledge sharing at the shopfloor level.

AB - With the purpose of understanding the extent of superfluous work and, thereby, suggesting managerial opportunities for reducing superfluous work, this paper focuses on decision-making processes at the shop floor level in digitalized manufacturing companies. Superfluous work is a kind of hidden waste and comprises the gap between necessary work and the work that is actually carried out, either on handling daily tasks at the shop floor, accomplishing decision-making processes, or implementing workarounds. By using an abductive approach, the research systematically combines a theoretical conceptualization of shopfloor decision-making processes in smart-manufacturing with an empirical enquiry into a highly digitalized manufacturing company. The paper reveals superfluous work if the decision-making process involves collaboration across disciplines and/or organizational boundaries. Superfluous work occurs because of a lack of data and information to guide re°ective thinking and knowledge sharing. In relation to highly complex decision-making, the ongoing implementation of workarounds also causes superfluous work. Prerequisites for reducing superfluous work are enhancing the accessibility of applicable data to guide re°ective thinking and knowledge sharing at the shopfloor level.

KW - Decision-making

KW - Knowledge sharing

KW - Shopfloor management

KW - Smart-manufacturing

KW - Superfluous work

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85112845681&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1142/S2424862221400029

DO - 10.1142/S2424862221400029

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85112845681

VL - 6

SP - 333

EP - 352

JO - Journal of Industrial Integration and Management

JF - Journal of Industrial Integration and Management

SN - 2424-8622

IS - 3

ER -