Variability management: a still to be noticed role of workers

Abstract

Despite the efforts in reducing or eliminating variability, it is possible to assume that it remains as an inherent aspect in any production system. Activity-centercd Ergonomic analyses have been showing the importance of operating strategies Io deal with variability found in organisations and to accomplish the production goals. The aim of this paper is to show the relevance of variability situations in the analyzed context. It also aims to demonstrate that the role of workers in dealing with such situations is not recognized inside the organisation, not even by the workers themselves. The research was based on action research strategy, and the main method applied was the Ergonomic Analysis of Wok Activity. It was conducted in a manufacturing company, part of the automotive chain.