Is Lean Mean?

Richard Anderson-Connolly, Leon Grunberg, Edward S. Greenberg and Sarah Moore
Additional contact information
Richard Anderson-Connolly: University of Puget Sound, USA raconnolly@ups.edu
Leon Grunberg: University of Puget Sound, USA
Edward S. Greenberg: University of Colorado-Boulder, USA
Sarah Moore: University of Puget Sound, USA

Work, Employment & Society, 2002, vol. 16, issue 3, 389-413

Abstract: This article examines the relationship between workplace transformation (or restructuring) and the well-being of employees, in terms of both psychological and physical health, at a large manufacturing corporation in the United States. While the previous literature has been largely divided over the issue - some researchers providing unqualified enthusiasm and others equally strong criticism of workplace changes - we found, after decomposing workplace transformation into five distinct dimensions of intensity, autonomy, team-work, skilling and computing, that certain components were harmful while others were beneficial to the employees. Furthermore, some effects of reengineering varied between managers and non-managers. Overall, increases in workplace intensity were associated with the largest increases in stress and symptoms of poor health. The data were produced by a longitudinal (two-wave) survey questionnaire of over 1000 employees and were analyzed by means of a structural equations model.

Keywords: employee well-being; reengineering; restructuring; skilling; stress; teamwork (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2002
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:woemps:v:16:y:2002:i:3:p:389-413

DOI: 10.1177/095001702762217407

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