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Linking Work Design to Mass Customization: A Sociotechnical Systems Perspective *
Author(s) -
Liu Gensheng Jason,
Shah Rachna,
Schroeder Roger G.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
decision sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.238
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1540-5915
pISSN - 0011-7315
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-5414.2006.00137.x
Subject(s) - mass customization , sociotechnical system , personalization , work (physics) , process management , computer science , perspective (graphical) , knowledge management , business , engineering , world wide web , mechanical engineering , artificial intelligence
Mass customization has gained increasing importance in recent years due to its ability to provide customized products efficiently and effectively, and manufacturing companies are continuously searching for ways to develop their mass‐customization ability. Despite extensive literature focusing on mass customization, few studies have systematically examined the impact of work‐design practices on a company's mass‐customization ability. Using the Sociotechnical Systems theory as a foundation, we link work‐design practices with mass‐customization ability, specifically identifying ten work‐design practices and examining their impact on mass‐customization ability using survey data and empirical research methods. The results support our hypothesized links and suggest that work‐design practices that manage both the technical and the social dimensions for achieving organization success have significant impact on a company's ability to achieve mass customization.