This document summarizes a case study about workers at the Ford Motor's Wixom plant assembly line. It describes the observations of Roger Rapoport, who worked on the assembly line as a summer replacement. The summary notes that the work was physically tiring and repetitive, with little room for problem solving. Training and supervision of workers were ineffective. Workers felt a loss of identity and pride in their work. The management was limited by a lack of emphasis on worker needs, poor work conditions, and imbalance between work and leisure. Recommendations included applying Elton Mayo's theories to motivate workers through better communication and involvement.

1. I.M.D.R.Pune
CASES IN ORGANISATION BEHAVIOUR
Group 1
CASE 2: LIFE ON THE LINE
Submitted To: Prof.Parikshit Mahankal
Institute of Management Development & Research
2015-2017
Submitted By,
Chandrakanth Athukuri (17)
Tejas Chintamani (23)
Pallavi Dudhe (33)
Harshal Gawali (37)
Sagar Kadam (51)
Rahul Pareek (83)
Kunal Poul (93)

2. I.M.D.R.Pune
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The case talks about the life of the workers at the assembly line taking the Ford motors
Wixom plant under consideration. It highlights the observations made & experiences gained
by Roger Rapoport who was hired at the plant to work on the assembly line as a summer
replacement. The case also showcases the problems related to the quality of the products
produced, working conditions of the workers, the communications between the staff &
workers & the day to day struggle the workers had to do in order to meet their necessities.
ANALYSIS:
 Though the tasks were repetitive in nature, but at the same time were physically
tiresome & there was no scope for thinking over trouble shooting or correcting
errors.
 The training provided to the workers were ineffective & very less monitoring was
done during the hiring process.
 The supervisory & inspection staff lacked responsibilities & were careless & casual in
nature, were also blind folded towards work.
 The workers carried no pride in doing their work & felt like they lost their identities
at the workplace, even there was loss of healthy communication at the assembly
line.
MANAGEMENT’S LIMITATIONS:
 Lack of hygiene factors such as - adequate salaries, proper work supervision, proper
work conditions.
 There was imbalance between work & leisure.
 The implication of Taylor’s scientific management was done to increase labor
productivity & reduce unit costs, but it lacked implementation at several stages such
as - supervision, quality, inspection etc.
 Lack of custodial model which lay emphasis on security needs of money & bonuses
to extract work from the Theory X category of workers.

3. I.M.D.R.Pune
OPINIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS:
I. Would have considered Elton Mayo’s theory to motivate workers to meet their social
needs at the workplace by – better communication, greater supervisor’s
involvement, working in teams etc., which the Taylor’s model lacked.
II. Clearly defined & crisp hiring procedure & communication of work desired.
III. Better trainings to be provided to all staff post hiring.
IV. Better implementation of effective supervision & inspection.
V. Defect correction on the line itself.
VI. Changing the tasks of the workers by rotation to break the monotonous nature of
the work.
VII. Provision of better leisure facilities & environment.