Good Work Toolbox

Chapter 4, Torslanda: breaking down the bigness

GWT analyst’s summary: Pehr Gyllenhammar served as the CEO of Volvo for 24 years. In his 1977 book “People at Work” he describes the work that was performed to improve traditional assembly-line automobile manufacturing based on a humanistic approach to work. The Torslanda plant was a monument for Volvo; built in 1964, it is a high-volume nearly mile-long assembly line. Gyllenhammar worked within the inflexible nature of the physical plant to institute many work improvements that focused on the worker. Dirty, heavy jobs were mechanized wherever it was possible to do so. Jobs that couldn’t be mechanized were changed to improve the ergonomics and the work environment. Attention was paid to break areas, green spaces, and recreation. Driving the changes was accomplished through employee-elected works councils. Workers were given opportunities for personal and technical development. Job rotation was used throughout the plant as a way of preventing burnout and repetitive injuries as well as to acquaint workers with other parts of the process dependent on them. The overall goal was to elevate the workers’ status and give them a greater sense of attachment to the final products they were producing.

Chapter 3, Kalmar: the catalyst

GWT analyst’s summary: Pehr Gyllenhammar served as the CEO of Volvo for 24 years. In his 1977 book “People at Work” he describes the work that was performed to improve traditional assembly-line automobile manufacturing based on a humanistic approach to work. The Kalmar plant was a new construction for Volvo, and was designed around the premise that humanity and efficiency could be combined. Work was designed around small groups of workers performing a greater variety of tasks with longer cycle times. The layout of the new plant located the stores of materials in the center, so that work spaces could be arranged along exterior walls in order to provide workers with natural light and a view of the outdoors. The Kalmar plant used motorized car carriers to move cars between workstations where workers performed tasks. The speed at which the cars moved from station to station was controlled by the workers, and buffers between stations allowed flexibility in work pace. Groups of workers were given responsibility for their output, their work areas, and their product quality. They were also given the autonomy to make changes in their work methods and areas. The result was a plant with five percent lower turnover and absenteeism than their other plants.