The evolution of work design models toward I5.0 Humancentrism and beyond

Abstract Paper aims Production Engineering, as a knowledge field, was born with Frederick Taylor and his seminal analysis of work in industry. Over time, work design gradually changed, due to a complex set of factors. Nowadays, although work is at the center stage of societal concerns, work design modeling is understudied and undervalued, as if everything depended on technological advances only. Originality To assess the evolution of work design models, I created a framework based on five elements: Technology, Model of Person, Management System, Work Blueprint, and targeted Outcomes. It allows for a comparative analysis of the models and reveals their path dependence. Research method In this article, I perform a historical analysis. I use seminal works that established the foundations of Production Engineering and Operations Management, combined with those that polemicize and establish the state-of-the-art in work design. Main findings Using that framework, I highlight the key features of each work design model, disclose their path dependence to cope with increasing complexity, and discuss the options currently available to understand better the challenges associated with work design in the future. Implications for theory and practice Evolutionary analysis is valuable for research and teaching, whereas the analytical framework may help practice, organization and work design.