A Diversity of New Work Organization: Human-centered, Lean and In-between

Abstract

Lean production, from Toyota, is said to be paradigmatic for future production organization in the auto industry. This article challenges that view. Case studies at auto plants in the U.S., Germany, and Sweden show a wide diversity of developing new work organization. Not only are there differences across countries, there are also substantial and persistent variations across firms and even individual plants. No single model of production is yet emerging from this diversity. Although there are common elements such as team and group work, just-in-time delivery, and "total quality management", the actual shape of new work organization depends on a variety of factors including industrial relations, training systems, and labor market conditions.

Reworking Postfordism: Labor Process Versus Employment Relations

“…Even through the early 1990s, many of the most involved scholars continued to see two or three distinct and viable postfordist alternatives: either the Japanese model or the German model (Jürgens et al. 1993) or the Volvo model or the Japanese model (Turner and Auer 1994). By the end of the 1990s, however, it was clear to even the strongest advocates of the Swedish or Germany models that lean production was winning the battle.…”

Changes and continuities in South Korean HRM

“…In contrast to ideas of universal HR practices transferred around the world resulting in converging systems, are contingency approaches. These seek to explain continuing HRM diversity between (and even within) countries, even those grouped together as regions, such as Asia (see, inter alia, Turner and Auer, 1996;Katz, 1997;Rowley, 1997). This may be because the context is the deciding factor, the impact of practices is dependent on the congruence between HRM and contingent variables and national context (such as institutions and culture).…”

The Post-Fordist High Road? A South African Case Study

“…This built on the unions' "humanization of work" campaign in the 1970s, with co-determinist structures such as works councils playing a leading role in designing these group work concepts (Turner and Auer 1996:241). In a three-country analysis, Turner and Auer (1996) compare the Swedish and German models with the Lean Production system, dominant in the US, concluding that the first two systems offer much greater skill enhancement and control by workers than Lean Production. The study contrasts the evolution of the systems, arguing that the history of co-determination and extensive vocational training in Germany and Sweden, and the tight labour market conditions in Sweden, were key factors in the evolution of more 'human friendly' forms of work organization.…”