Abstract

The case discusses the efforts made by the Swedish automobile major - Volvo AB towards improving the work conditions at its facilities through job enrichment programs. In its efforts to reduce the instances of employee turnover and absenteeism in its manufacturing facilities, Volvo introduced innovative job enrichment programs including job rotation, management employee councils, small work groups, change implementation and employee oriented facilities. These programs helped the company to understand the importance of designing its facilities according to the work design and employees’ requirements. Volvo was one of the first automobile companies to deviate from the traditional assembly line system and adopt a more employee-centric approach for manufacturing automobiles.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Job enrichment
• Adapting the workplace to the employee requirements.

Keywords

Case, Southwest Airlines, Gary Kelly, James Parker, Herb Kelleher, Low-cost Airlines, Organizational Culture, Colleen Barrett, Customer Relations, JetBlue, Succession Planning, Cultural Transformation, Leadership, Change Management, AirTran, Southwest Culture