Scientific organization of labor in post-revolutionary Russia: role and specificity

Abstract

This article carries out an analysis of the national tradition of scientific organization of labor due to the established epistemic situation in post-revolutionary Russia of the 1920’s – 1930’s. Based on clarification of Bolsheviks’ views on labor and its organization, an idea is formulated that the Soviet model of labor rationality was characterized by the unique sociocultural meaning, as it acquired rather uncommon features for the history of organizational thought. It is demonstrated that in many instances it was substantiated not only by the political agenda. In the conducted society the author refers to the concept of “repair society” applicable to post-revolutionary Russia, as well as pitches an idea that the proposed by the Bolsheviks goals and objectives on scientific organization of labor, unlike such in the Western scientific management, carried a reconstructive character. In this sense, labor and its organization in eyes of the Soviet society were associated primarily with the repair or restoration of either things, technology, household or social ties. The reconstructive meaning of the Soviet model of labor rationality is clarified through explication of the content of fundamental ideas and experiments of the Bolsheviks pertaining to organization of social life, working process, industry and individual traits of a person.