Overcoming alienation in assembly line work: the role of formalisation, leadership and compensation

‘Taylorised’ work, characterised by repetitive tasks, pressing time constraints, and highly standardised procedures, has long been associated with alienation among industrial workers. This study explores the contextual factors associated with work alienation among assembly line workers engaged in Taylorised work to further contemporary research on alienation. Data were collected from blue-collar workers employed in automobile industry assembly operations in India using a standardised questionnaire (n = 346). Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the primary data. The study results show that compensation satisfaction, transformational leadership behaviour of supervisor, formalisation of work processes, and counterproductive work behaviour (CWB) are associated with work alienation among assembly line workers. The study proposes interventions aimed at curbing alienation within strained and mechanistic work environments, such as establishing a fair and equitable compensation structure to ensure compensation satisfaction, training supervisors to be transformational leaders, and formalising the work processes; notably, the first two interventions may also reduce the likelihood of CWBs. This empirical study is among the few that have endeavoured to develop a mediational framework for comprehending the intricate dynamics of alienation within closely related fields of study, leveraging established theories for foregrounding the contextual factors associated with alienation among assembly line workers.