Innovation and Management Control: Labour Relations at BL Cars

Abstract

This book contributes to our knowledge of the social and economic implications of the adoption of new technology, on the basis of a detailed study of the process by which BL cars, in financial crisis in 1975 and with a history of several industrial relations problems, launched the first of its new model range in 1980. It draws on substantial data from the company itself and describes the emergence of a new management strategy which emphasised the right to manage on the shopfloor, and the consequences of this for trade union organisation, the role of shop stewards, and the organisation of work. It emphasises the importance of labour relations reform in securing the success of the new model, and the relationships between innovation decisions and changes on the shopfloor. It then discusses the wider implications of, and the theoretical and policy conclusions to be drawn from, the development of such labour relations strategies.