After Lean Production

by Kochan, Thomas A.; Lansbury, Russell D.; Macduffie, John Paul

• ISBN13: 9780801484131
• ISBN10: 0801484138
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-09-01
• Publisher: Cornell Univ Pr

Summary

This book has two main strengths. First, its approach gives a sense of the texture and variety of the implementation of lean production, the forces that shape it in practice, and the alternatives that may be available. Second, the book's international focus provides a wealth of fascinating material concerning the influence of national conditions on the shaping of production practices.-Harley Shaiken, author of Work Transformed: Automation and Labor in the Computer Age Nearly every country that produces cars views the automobile industry as strategically important because of its direct economic significance and because it serves as a bellwether for innovation in employment conditions. In this book, industrial relations experts from eleven countries consider the state of the industry worldwide. They are particularly interested in assessing whether the loudly heralded model of lean production initiated by Toyota has become pervasive.The contributors focus on employment practices: the way work is organized, how workers and managers interact, the way worker representatives respond to lean production strategies, and the nature of the adaptation and innovation process itself.

Table of Contents

Tables and Figures
Acknowledgments
An International Perspective on the Auto Industry
Introduction	p. 3
Changes in Auto Industry Employment Practices: An International Overview	p. 9
Bellwethers of Innovation in the Auto Industry
Japan: Beyond the Model for Lean Production	p. 45
United States: Variations on a Theme	p. 61
Canada: Continuity and Change	p. 85
Germany: Implementing Lean Production	p. 109
Germany: Labor's Perspective on Lean Production	p. 117
United Kingdom: The Reorganization of Production	p. 137
Italy: Changing the Workplace in the Auto Industry	p. 155
Spain, France, and Italy: Mediterranean Lean Production	p. 177
Sweden: The Volvo and Saab Road beyond Lean Production	p. 191
Australia: Restructuring for Survival	p. 205
Emerging Economies and Lean Production
South Africa: The Struggle for Human Resource Development	p. 231
Brazil: The Diffusion of a New Pattern of Industrial Relations Practices	p. 255
Korea: Recent Developments and Policy Options	p. 273
After Lean Production
Conclusion: After Lean Production?	p. 303
References	p. 325
Contributors	p. 337
Index	p. 343
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.