Manufacturing Industrial Relations?

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to review the social and political role of labour within the evolution of new production regimes and, in particular, teamworking. It draws on various research projects regarding the development of new management practices in a key European car manufacturer. The authors are concerned with the simplistic and, indeed, problematic analysis presented by the lean production paradigm who have been unable to explain the contextual factors and historical processes that underpin the development in firms. In addition, however, whilst agreeing in broad terms with the argument that what we are seeing in Europe is the emergence of a series of hybrid forms we nevertheless express some concern with the tendency to downplay the active role of labour and industrial relations regulation within these developments. More importantly we feel that the referencing to ‘social settlements’ and to ‘industrial relations systems’, whilst on the whole should be welcomed given the limits of the managerialist literature, tends to be done in such a manner that it draws attention away from the active and dynamic role of labour difference and conflict in conditioning management developments. Hence this discussion paper will present some preliminary insights based on a range of research projects that have been executed in recent years.