Towards Human-Centred Job Design for Grassroot Innovation: A Case Study on the Quality of Work in SMEs.
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2025-10-15
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en
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For companies to remain relevant in the future, innovation is a key driver for survival and adapting to societal change. With technological progress advancing automation, the question of the role and purpose of the human worker has become increasingly relevant. This case study examines a company in the metal finishing industry, analysing its work design through the lens of quality of work (QoW), human-centred job design, and grassroots innovation. This qualitative research explores different roles within the organization, identifying how various work design structures either hinder or enable innovation from a social- technical design perspective. Using sensitizing concepts from the KOMPASS method and Self-determination Theory (SDT), the study highlights key elements such as communication channels, job creation, autonomy, and transparency, along with psychological needs of the workers as crucial drivers for grassroot innovation in Dutch small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The study concludes that to effectively navigate todays fast changing environment of physical work, deliberate and intentional human-centred job design is vital to achieve a complementary system that aims for high quality of work. Focusing on the development of the worker as a central change agent is essential for grassroot innovation to thrive.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen