An aging population, low motivation to work and a trend towards employments with reduced working hours cause a labor shortage on the Austrian job market. Manufacturing companies are especially affected by that development, as they typically need a lot of staff. Although little can be done against demographic change, businesses may undertake measures to tackle lethargy and to convince their employees to spend more time at work. One promising lever in this context is New Work. At the moment, New Work is primarily associated with agile methods, the use of digital tools and work arrangements that are flexible both in terms of time and location. What is missing, however, is a broader understanding of what blue collar workers in the manufacturing industry need and desire to feel happy, motivated and energized when they are at their workplace. This master thesis aims at contributing to the development of a comprehensive picture in this context. Thus, it examines the aspects of New Work that are especially relevant for blue collar workers that are employed in a manufacturing company in Upper Austria. In a first step, the term New Work is defined, followed by a discussion of the findings regarding the principles associated with New Work in the current literature. Subsequently, the requirements regarding leadership and the characteristics of the manufacturing sector that are relevant in the context of New Work are explained. At the end of the literature review, the positive effects of New Work are addressed. To ensure that the findings of the study are not only representative for the company as a whole, but also provide deep insights based on which a New Work concept and specific recommendations for actions for the examined company can be developed, a mixed methods approach was chosen. The first part of the empirical study was a quantitative survey that aimed at determining the current state of the company regarding New Work. The second part of the study consisted of two focus group discussions. The goal of these discussions was to assess the company’s progress in terms of New Work in detail and to detect which potentials have not yet been exploited according to the employees. The blue collar workers give their employer good grades: Most of them see a purpose in their work and like what they do. Furthermore, they enjoy a high degree of autonomy and flexibility, show a strong cohesion on a team level as well as signs of entrepreneurial thinking and acting. In addition to that, the employees have a solid skill set and express willingness to further educate themselves and to take on more responsibility within the company. The fact that the workforce displays a high level of conscientiousness, self-leadership and creativity, communicates on eye-level and puts forth emergent leaders contributes to the impression that there are good preconditions for flat hierarchies. Room for improvement is identified in terms of the promotional culture and the knowledge transfer within the company. Furthermore, the employees would like to see themselves to get more involved by their leaders. Additionally, a clear definition of tasks, duties and authorisations that come with certain roles is desired as well as more empowerment of the workers. What should be enhanced, too, is the relationship between subordinates and their supervisors: The employees expect them to show more support, backing and to find ways to reduce stress at work by taking actions to optimize production planning. Another thing that needs improvement is the internal communication, especially regarding transparency, feedback and coordination. Employees also wish for a stronger appreciation of ideas they contribute and additional work they agree to do, especially in terms of financial rewards.
Date of Award | 2024 |
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Original language | German (Austria) |
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Supervisor | Silke Preymann (Supervisor) |
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New Work in der Produktion: Fallstudie bei einem oberösterreichischen Landmaschinenhersteller
Rubenzer, M. (Author). 2024
Student thesis: Master's Thesis