New Organization of Work in a Multinational Car Company: Job Satisfaction and Working Condition in Comparative Perspective

The research discusses the characteristics of World Class Manufacturing and interprets it as a variant of the lean production model, analyzing strengths and criticalities in its application in the most important automotive company in Italy. In particular, the study takes into consideration four factories of the multinational company, two located in the north of Italy and two located in the south, highlighting the differences that emerge in the working conditions and in the job satisfaction with regard to the fundamental pillars of the organizational model of work. Sixteen variables are considered (workload, team leader, innovation, cleanliness, temperature, autonomy, trade union, security, collaboration, tools, bonuses, clear guidelines, feel comfortable, work life balance, individual valorization, salary) and for each of them it is noticed the expected satisfaction, the real satisfaction and past satisfaction. The emerging differences are important both in the comparison between the four plants and in the comparison over time. The findings of the research seem to be significant as the theoretical hypotheses are confirmed for some model pillars (innovation, autonomy, cleanliness), whereas the theories are being scrapped for other pillars (workload, collaboration, team leader). The results appear to be coincidental both in the North and the South, so regardless of the territorial context taken into account.