Workers united: Digitally enhancing social connectedness on the shop floor

Organizations increasingly implement processes-oriented setups like value stream production. Whereas this transition may bring many advantages on an organizational level, related studies show that shop floor workers feel less able to maintain close contact with others and exchange awareness cues. Their diminished social connectedness has consequences on the personal (e.g., reduced satisfaction) and organizational (reduced efficiency) level. The current wave of digitization brings ample opportunities for companies to bring their employees closer together again. In order to identify such opportunities, we have studied the shop floor production practices of an automotive OEM (original equipment manufacturer) for nearly two years. Following a scenario-based action design science approach, we have developed problem and activity scenarios as well as a prototype that helps the workers to improve their social connectedness in three different scenarios. Eight weeks of use demonstrated the prototype’s positive impact on the employees’ social connectedness by allowing for social appraisal and by improving their sense of sharing and involvement. Our results show which information technology (IT) design elements can contribute to social connectedness on the shop floor.