Introducing digital technologies in the factory: determinants of blue-collar workers’ attitudes towards new robotic tools

ABSTRACT

In the context of blue-collar work, digital technologies and robotic systems are introduced at a rapid speed. However, employees are not always motivated to adopt such new technologies. Thus, it is essential to understand the drivers of employees’ attitudes towards new technology at work (e.g. their enthusiasm about new technology or their insecurity or resistance to change). The present study examines (actual and desired) work characteristics as a predictor of attitudes towards new technology in blue-collar work. Results from a correlational study among blue-collar workers (N = 127) showed that work characteristics among blue-collar workers could be divided into three dimensions, namely, work enrichment, work demands, and task identity. These correlated with attitudes towards a to-be-implemented new technology (here, robotic system): As expected, desired work demands correlated with greater technology enthusiasm, whereas a lack of actual work enrichment predicted technology-based job insecurity. Work characteristics were unrelated to user resistance to change. The findings suggest that how workers evaluate their current work, and how much they are (dis)satisfied with it, predicts attitudes towards new technology. This research adds to the knowledge about attitudes towards new technology in blue-collar work. Practical implications for the implementation of technologies in blue-collar work are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Attitudes towards new technology
• technology enthusiasm
• user resistance to change
• technology-based job insecurity
• work characteristics
• blue-collar work

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Notably, as the current study focuses on the pre-implementation period, other concepts related to individual attitudes (e.g. perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use of the new technology) could not be reliably assessed in this phase, as workers still lacked knowledge about the concrete features of the new technology.

2 Results of all regression analysis do not change substantially neither when controlling for the other technology dimensions not examined in the respective regression nor when excluding outliers based on studentized residues (N = 4); hence, we do not discuss this control variable in more detail.