IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jdataj/v6y2021i5p47-d546886.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Industry 4.0 and Proactive Works Council Members

Author

Listed:
  • Mari Božič

    (Faculty of Organisation Studies in Novo Mesto, 8000 Novo Mesto, Slovenia)

  • Annmarie Gorenc Zoran

    (Faculty of Organisation Studies in Novo Mesto, 8000 Novo Mesto, Slovenia)

  • Matej Jevšček

    (Faculty of Organisation Studies in Novo Mesto, 8000 Novo Mesto, Slovenia)

Abstract

Background: Integrating Industry 4.0 technologies in organizations affects employees’ workplaces and working conditions. Works Council members play an essential role in this because as intermediaries of information between employees and management, they increase mutual trust and help introduce changes in the work environment. This article discusses the Works Council members’ autopoietic endowments that are necessary for their proactive activity, which we discuss as building blocks for creating constructive relationships with management and quality energy in an organization. As such, we were interested in examining whether the autopoietic endowments of Works Council members influenced the type of relationship with the Works Council and management, and whether this relationship affected Works Council members’ organizational energy. Methods: A questionnaire was developed, piloted and distributed to Works Council Members, and 220 completed questionnaires were returned. Results: We found that the higher the level of self-awareness, the better the relationship between Works Council members and management. Moreover, poor energy represented poor relationships, and poor relationships signified a higher degree of resigned inertia and corrosive energy. Conclusions: Our research provides managements with insights into the relationship between employees and management, and the quality of their organizational energy.

Suggested Citation

  • Mari Božič & Annmarie Gorenc Zoran & Matej Jevšček, 2021. "Industry 4.0 and Proactive Works Council Members," Data, MDPI, vol. 6(5), pages 1-17, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jdataj:v:6:y:2021:i:5:p:47-:d:546886
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5729/6/5/47/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5729/6/5/47/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Paul Schneider, 2018. "Managerial challenges of Industry 4.0: an empirically backed research agenda for a nascent field," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 12(3), pages 803-848, July.
    2. Thomas Haipeter, 2020. "Digitalisation, unions and participation: the German case of ‘industry 4.0’," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(3), pages 242-260, May.
    3. Paul Vandenberg, 2020. "The fourth industrial revolution," Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(1), pages 194-196, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Caroline Lloyd & Jonathan Payne, 2021. "Fewer jobs, better jobs? An international comparative study of robots and ‘routine’ work in the public sector," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(2), pages 109-124, March.
    2. Armanda Cetrulo & Giovanni Dosi & Angelo Moro & Linnea Nelli & Maria Enrica Virgillito, 2023. "Automation, digitalization and decarbonization in the European automotive industry: a roadmap towards a just transition," LEM Papers Series 2023/36, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    3. Janine Berg & Francis Green & Laura Nurski & David A Spencer, 2023. "Risks to job quality from digital technologies: Are industrial relations in Europe ready for the challenge?," European Journal of Industrial Relations, , vol. 29(4), pages 347-365, December.
    4. Andrea Katona & Zoltán Birkner & Erzsébet Péter, 2023. "Examining Digital Transformation Trends in Austrian and Hungarian Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-22, August.
    5. Krzywdzinski, Martin & Gerst, Detlef & Butollo, Florian, 2022. "Promoting human-centred AI in the workplace. Trade unions and their strategies for regulating the use of AI in Germany," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, issue OnlineFir, pages 1-1.
    6. Menti, Federica & Romero, David & Jacobsen, Peter, 2023. "A technology assessment and implementation model for evaluating socio-cultural and technical factors for the successful deployment of Logistics 4.0 technologies," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    7. ÄŒreÅ¡nar, Rok & Nedelko, Zlatko, 2019. "Competencies as a Criterion for Assessing the Readiness of Organizations for Industry 4.0 - A Missing Dimension," Proceedings- 11th International Conference on Mangement, Enterprise and Benchmarking (MEB 2019),, Óbuda University, Keleti Faculty of Business and Management.
    8. Krzywdzinski, Martin & Pfeiffer, Sabine & Evers, Maren & Gerber, Christine, 2022. "Measuring work and workers: Wearables and digital assistance systems in manufacturing and logistics," Discussion Papers, Research Group Globalization, Work, and Production SP III 2022-301, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    9. Ahmad Jrade & Farnaz Jalaei & Jieying Jane Zhang & Saeed Jalilzadeh Eirdmousa & Farzad Jalaei, 2023. "Potential Integration of Bridge Information Modeling and Life Cycle Assessment/Life Cycle Costing Tools for Infrastructure Projects within Construction 4.0: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-25, October.
    10. Christian Hoyer & Indra Gunawan & Carmen Haule Reaiche, 2020. "The Implementation of Industry 4.0 – A Systematic Literature Review of the Key Factors," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(4), pages 557-578, July.
    11. César Martínez-Olvera & Jaime Mora-Vargas, 2019. "A Comprehensive Framework for the Analysis of Industry 4.0 Value Domains," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-21, May.
    12. Emanuele Gabriel Margherita & Ilenia Bua, 2021. "The Role of Human Resource Practices for the Development of Operator 4.0 in Industry 4.0 Organisations: A Literature Review and a Research Agenda," Businesses, MDPI, vol. 1(1), pages 1-16, April.
    13. Szymon Cyfert & Waldemar Glabiszewski & Maciej Zastempowski, 2021. "Impact of Management Tools Supporting Industry 4.0 on the Importance of CSR during COVID-19. Generation Z," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-13, March.
    14. Dag Øivind Madsen, 2019. "The Emergence and Rise of Industry 4.0 Viewed through the Lens of Management Fashion Theory," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-25, September.
    15. Rok Črešnar & Marina Dabić & Nebojša Stojčić & Zlatko Nedelko, 2023. "It takes two to tango: technological and non-technological factors of Industry 4.0 implementation in manufacturing firms," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 827-853, April.
    16. Valeria Cirillo & Matteo Rinaldini & Jacopo Staccioli & Maria Enrica Virgillito, 2023. "Trade unions' responses to Industry 4.0 amid corporatism and resistance," PSL Quarterly Review, Economia civile, vol. 76(305), pages 91-120.
    17. Ricard Esparza-Masana, 2022. "Towards Smart Specialisation 2.0. Main Challenges When Updating Strategies," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 13(1), pages 635-655, March.
    18. Anna Adamik & Michał Nowicki & Andrius Puksas, 2022. "Energy Oriented Concepts and Other SMART WORLD Trends as Game Changers of Co-Production—Reality or Future?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-38, June.
    19. Luis J. Callarisa-Fiol & Miguel Ángel Moliner-Tena & Rosa Rodríguez-Artola & Javier Sánchez-García, 2023. "Entrepreneurship innovation using social robots in tourism: a social listening study," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 17(8), pages 2945-2971, November.
    20. Dabić, Marina & Maley, Jane F. & Črešnar, Rok & Nedelko, Zlatko, 2023. "Unappreciated channel of manufacturing productivity under industry 4.0: Leadership values and capabilities," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jdataj:v:6:y:2021:i:5:p:47-:d:546886. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.