Beyond Taylorism: Computerization and the New Industrial Relations [Hardcover]

Lorraine Giordano (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0312075790 | ISBN-13: 978-0312075798 | Publication Date: September 1992

This book explores 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 in management's goals for efficiency and productivity.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 236 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (September 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312075790
• ISBN-13: 978-0312075798
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,538,936 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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