APA Reference: Barrera, L., González-Romá, V., & Peiró, J. M. (2025). Beyond the Conveyor Belt: The Influence of Robotization on Work Characteristics. A Qualitative Study in Manufacturing Companies. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 28, e16, 1–12.
The increasing adoption of robots in organizations highlights a gap in understanding their impact on job characteristics. This qualitative study investigated how industrial robotization affects perceived work characteristics in manufacturing companies. Eighteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with production line workers and supervisors across four Spanish firms. Findings revealed benefits such as reduced physical demands, increased perceived skill variety, and improved social relationships. However, results were inconsistent for job complexity, task variety, and autonomy. The study suggests specific moderators that likely influence the relationship between robotization and certain work characteristics. It contributes to work design theory by providing empirical evidence on robotization as an antecedent of work characteristics. Additionally, it proposes several moderators for future research.
Article Link: https://doi.org/10.1017/SJP.2025.10002