The Effect of music genre on work productivity in repetitive tasks: An experimental study for sound and vibration applications

Heri Setiawan
Department of Industrial Engineering, Universitas Katolik Musi Charitas, Palembang 30113, Indonesia
Pawenary
Department of Business and Economy, Universitas Esa Unggul, West Jakarta 11530, Indonesia
Micheline Rinamurti
Department of Management, Universitas Katolik Musi Charitas, Palembang 30113, Indonesia
Sani Susanto
Department of Industrial Engineering, Universitas Kristen Krida Wacana, West Jakarta 11470, Indonesia

Article ID: 4406

Keywords: industrial sound; music genre; occupational acoustics; repetitive task; work productivity

Abstract

The physical work environment significantly influences worker performance, with workplace acoustics playing an important role in cognitive functioning and productivity. This study investigated the effect of music genre as an engineered acoustic intervention on productivity during repetitive industrial tasks. Unlike previous studies emphasizing psychological outcomes, this research integrates occupational acoustics, industrial ergonomics, and productivity engineering to evaluate music as a controllable workplace sound variable. A repeated-measures experimental design was conducted under four auditory conditions: no music, jazz, pop, and instrumental music. Productivity was assessed using output and work cycle time during repetitive manual tasks. Data were analyzed using one-way repeated-measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA) followed by Bonferroni-adjusted pairwise comparisons. Mauchly's test confirmed that the sphericity assumption was satisfied (W = 0.964, p = 0.119). Music genre had a significant effect on productivity (F(3,897) = 412.68, p < 0.001, partial η² = 0.58). Pop music produced the greatest productivity improvement (33.82%), followed by jazz (13.03%) and instrumental music (10.45%). Bonferroni comparisons showed that pop music significantly outperformed all other auditory conditions, whereas instrumental music did not differ significantly from the control condition. These findings demonstrate that appropriately designed auditory environments can enhance productivity during repetitive work. The study contributes to occupational acoustics by positioning music as an engineered environmental variable that supports human-centered industrial design and operational performance.

Published

2026-07-24

How to Cite

Setiawan, H., Pawenary, Rinamurti, M., & Susanto, S. (2026). The Effect of music genre on work productivity in repetitive tasks: An experimental study for sound and vibration applications. Sound & Vibration, 60(5). https://doi.org/10.59400/sv4406

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Issue

Vol. 60 No. 5 (2026): In Progress

Section

Article

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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