Lean as ideology and practice: A comparative study of the impact of lean production on working life in automotive manufacturing in the United Kingdom and Poland

Abstract

This article reports on research conducted at General Motors UK and Poland; BMW-UK; VW-Motor Poland. The development of a range of managerial practices at the workplace, often described as lean production techniques, is discussed. The focus is on the impact of the latter on employees' quality of work-life. While advocates of lean, so-called leanistas, argue that the 'right' management cadre will allow the positive effects of lean to prevail, evidence confirming this assumption remains limited. In contrast to 'lean ideology', findings here highlight the deleterious effects of systems so defined on the quality of life at work and to workers' health beyond employment.

Lean Production, Izzat and Industrial Conflict in the Indian Auto Sector: A Case Study

“…Our study extends the criticism of lean production that is applied globally without adjustment to local conditions (Stewart et al, 2016). In this way, we advance the social exchange theory of Blau (1964) and critical theory of Honneth (1992) that Izzat, as a fundamental cultural condition for the Indian workforce, underpins positive social exchange and stops dehumanization tendencies.…”

‘Are they out to get us?’ Power and the ‘recognition’ of the subject through a ‘lean’ work regime

“…Lean 'philosophies' and 'tools' are designed to match production and service provision with the market, to eliminate 'waste', costly stockpiles and shortages, thus creating a symmetry between demand and supply for the reduction of costs and the enhancement of profit. Critical analysis of lean regimes, both in the automotive industry and through its diffusion into the civil service, health and social care, demonstrates concerns about work intensification, deskilling and poor worker health (Carter et al, 2011(Carter et al, , 2013(Carter et al, , 2014Charlesworth, Baines, & Cunningham, 2015;Stewart, 2013;Stewart, Mrozowicki, Danford, & Murphy, 2016;Stewart et al, 2009). Calls have thus been made for a critical analysis and understanding of the persistence of lean and its socio-cultural implications at work today (Rees & Gauld, 2017;Stewart et al, 2016).…”

“I Shot the Sheriff”: Irony, Sarcasm and the Changing Nature of Workplace Resistance

“…We have argued that while an extensive literature has documented reactions to the implementation of Lean, we go further in systematizing approaches, showing their relational implications and couching them more broadly within a theory of domination and resistance. Additionally, although previous literature has suggested the ‘hollowing out’ of work under Lean (Delbridge et al, ) or illustrated ideological aspects of Lean in the workplace (McCann et al, ; Stewart et al, ), such unidimensional treatment can overlook how the philosophy functions in numerous ways within a given setting. Understanding organizational policies as operating at different levels of analysis provides a clue to the heterogeneity of domination and resistance, holding these levels as analytically distinct but also as co‐existing within the workplace.…”

“…Recent studies have clearly articulated this ideological function during the implementation of Lean (McCann et al, ; Stewart et al, ). However, McCann et al’s () study hinted at a third Lean dynamic – Lean as ‘fantasy’ – as reflected in their analysis of Lean’s ‘spell’.…”