Operators’ Work Situation in Volvo Uddevalla

Book chapter, 2025

This chapter, co-authored by Medbo and Wänström, discusses the factory operators’ social and technical work situation. As the Uddevalla factory was seen as the future of sustainable manufacturing in the automotive industry, understanding the operators’ work situations and contents is crucial for defining the prerequisites for successful production. The discussion is based on interviews with operators in assembly workshops and reflect their perceptions and views. In the analysis, a cross-disciplinary framework is used, based on the self-determination theory, job design theoryand socio-technical systems theory. The design with parallel product flows and extensive work cycles and contents was promising for high performance and improved working conditions. Further, the organisation of the production teams created good opportunities for operators to fulfil their basic psychological needs. However, this potential was not fully utilised, especially with respect to productivity. A leadership that focused on the design and needs of the production system would have significantly improved the workers’ well-being and performance.