Experimental evidence for the effects of task repetitiveness on mental strain and objective work performance |
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Authors: | Jan Alexander Häusser Stefan Schulz‐Hardt Thomas Schultze Anne Tomaschek Andreas Mojzisch |
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Institution: | 1. Institute of Psychology, University of Hildesheim, , Hildesheim, Germany;2. Institute of Psychology, Georg‐August‐University G?ttingen, , G?ttingen, Germany;3. Institute of Psychology, TU Dresden, , Dresden, Germany |
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Abstract: | People frequently have to work in high repetitive jobs. Previous research has focused exclusively on the effects of task repetitiveness on well‐being, while neglecting effects on work performance. In the present study, we aimed to fill this void by conducting two workplace simulations with experimental manipulations of task repetitiveness. Participants worked for about 5 hours at either a computer workstation, compiling computer hardware packages according to customer requests (Experiment 1, N = 160), or at an assembly line, piecing together equipment sets for furniture (Experiment 2, N = 213). Both experiments provide consistent evidence that high repetitiveness has a detrimental effect on well‐being, whereas work performance increases under conditions of high repetitiveness. On a practical level, our study hence shows that high task repetitiveness is a double‐edged sword for both employees and organizations. On a conceptual level, our findings emphasize the necessity to account for both mental strain and work performance when examining the effects of task repetitiveness. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
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Keywords: | task repetitiveness job design mental strain well‐being work performance job enlargement |
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