Inhaltsangabe
This book examines two major contemporary changes in corporate reorganization strategies: the impact of computerization on skills and the organization of production; and the role of quality circles in the reorganization of bureaucratic decision-making. It is concerned with labour processes which experience deskilling, reskilling and shifts in the lines of demarcation between occupations.
Based on a case study of workers in a US defence plant, the author conducted in-depth interviews with machinists, process engineers, drafters and design drafters - occupations which represent related phases in design and production work. The findings indicate that the impact of computerized automation is complex, contradictory and multi-dimensional.
Workers' experiences in quality circles are examined as part of the labour relations within the firm and changes in the structure of managerial decision-making. Quality circles, rather than transforming labour relations toward democratic participation, are managerial strategies to create a decentralized structure to facilitate workers' cooperation with management's goals for efficiency and productivity.
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