A Bibliometric Perspective of Integrating Labor Flexibility in Workload Control

In an era assessed by quick technological advancement and shifting work paradigms, the integration of labor flexibility (LF) within Workload Control (WLC) systems presents a critical yet underexplored facet of industrial operation. This research embarks on a comprehensive bibliometric and systematic literature network analysis crossing a decade of studies from 2014 to 2024, uncovering pivotal contributions and identifying prevalent themes in LF and WLC. Although our inquiry reveals an intensifying interest in this field, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, it discloses a noticeable research shortfall in empirical explorations of LF’s role within various order release methodologies. Addressing this gap, the study brings to light the growing importance of human dynamics, such as learning curves and worker heterogeneity, in optimizing WLC. Synthesizing the most significant scholarly works, the paper points out the urgency of adopting cross-disciplinary approaches to enrich future research attempts.