Industrial Internet of Things and job characteristics in production lines: an empirical analysis

Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technologies are producing radical changes in the automation of industrial manufacturing and logistics. Considering the case of production lines, this research aims to identify which job characteristics are affected by the introduction of IIoT technologies. The developed framework investigates a set of 11 different constructs: systematic problem solving, proactive work behaviour, task variety, job demand, job enlargement, task interdependence, feedback from the job, job complexity, job engagement, physical engagement, and job autonomy. The framework was tested through a survey, conducted on a sample of 104 workers and 24 foremen of 12 leading manufacturing companies.