THATS NOT MY JOB - DEVELOPING FLEXIBLE EMPLOYEE WORK ORIENTATIONS

It is widely argued that modern manufacturing settings require employe es to adopt a customer-focused strategic orientation and a broad and p roactive role orientation. Yet empirical investigation of this issue i s lacking. We describe the development of measures of both types of wo rk orientation and present two field studies that examine how these or ientations change. Findings suggest that, although the implementation of new production practices can in itself lead to the development of a strategic orientation appropriate to modern manufacturing, change tow ard a more flexible role orientation additionally requires the introdu ction of autonomous forms of working.