Ulrich Jürgens

Vor dem Hintergrund der Diskussion uber Industrie 4.0 fragt das Buch nach den Erfahrungen, die in der Automobilindustrie bisher mit Automatisierung und ihren Auswirkungen auf Arbeit gemacht wurden. Die Untersuchung der Entwicklungen bei Ford, Toyota und Volkswagen in den vergangenen 100 Jahre generiert uberraschende Erkenntnisse uber Automatisierungsverlaufe und ihre Einflussfaktoren. Das Buch wendet sich gegen technikzentrierte und monokausale Erklarungsansatze von Transformationsprozessen und vereinfachte Vorstellungen uber Automatisierungsfolgen. Es verbindet Mikroanalysen von Automatisierungsprozessen auf Werksebene mit der Analyse ubergreifender Trends bei der Automatisierung, der Produktivitat und den Veranderungen von Arbeitsbedingungen und Tatigkeitsstrukturen.

New industrial centres are emerging in the so-called BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China), where large numbers of plants have been constructed in recent years, creating many manufacturing jobs. But what does industrial work look like in these locations? Up until now, much of the interest in developing country industrialization has concentrated on the poor working conditions that characterize some export-oriented sectors in emerging economies, most notoriously in the garment industry. In contrast, the concern of this book is with the modern facilities of multinational or local manufacturers that reflect aspirations for a process of industrial upgrading that might foreshadow the future for these countries. The book provides an analysis of work, its context, and the situation of employees in plants in the BRICs focussing on three main questions: What differences and common features can be ascertained in a comparison both of countries and firms in terms of workplace HR management and production systems? What evidence is there for either a 'high road' or 'low road' developmental path in the BRICs? How are corporate standards implemented in these local contexts? The book addresses an academic audience as well as managers and trade unionists. For the former, it offers a systematic comparison of the four countries and the companies under study. For the latter, it offers a vivid account of challenges the companies face in the BRIC countries as well as the solutions adopted by the companies.

Corporate Governance, Employee Voice, and Work Organization explores the dynamic relations between corporate governance, employee voice, and the organization of work in the automotive supply industry. It reports on research undertaken in three countries--Germany, Sweden, and the United States--that has sought to explore and compare historical patterns of the relationships between changing governance regimes, voice, and work at plant level in an era of financialization. It also explores the prospects for high-road, sustainable jobs in the sector. Three detailed case histories from each of the countries are presented which contrast companies facing three different levels of exposure to capital markets: companies relatively sheltered from stock markets; companies that are highly exposed to them; and thirdly companies owned by private equity firms. This design allows for analysis not just across different national contexts but also within them, and questions the usefulness of the 'varieties of capitalism' appraoch in understanding these differences. The cases show that governance compromises matter, that is, that recognising the role of employee voice in corporate governance regimes is essential in any comparative analysis and understanding of corporate governance.

In this book, the future of one of the world's most important industries is examined from the perspective of work structures and labour relations policies. The authors examine the restructuring of the world automobile industry in the 1980s, and draw data from an in-depth empirical study of three leading car companies in three different countries: the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany. They demonstrate that the different strategies employed by firms and trades unions in industrial relations, and different national characteristics, have had a major impact on the dismantling of Taylorism and Fordism and the introduction of new structures of work. This book is an important contribution to the study of change in mass production industries throughout the world. It will be of interest to students of industrial relations and industrial sociology, as well as specialists in government and business.

In this book, the future of one of the world's most important industries is examined from the perspective of work structures and labour relations policies. The authors examine the restructuring of the world automobile industry in the 1980s, and draw data from an in-depth empirical study of three leading car companies in three different countries: the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany. They demonstrate that the different strategies employed by firms and trades unions in industrial relations, and different national characteristics, have had a major impact on the dismantling of Taylorism and Fordism and the introduction of new structures of work. This book is an important contribution to the study of change in mass production industries throughout the world. It will be of interest to students of industrial relations and industrial sociology, as well as specialists in government and business.

Das Buch behandelt die Entwicklungsperspektiven und Gestaltungsoptionen von Arbeit in der Automobilproduktion vor dem Hintergrund der umfassenden Restrukturierung der Weltautomobilindustrie. Dargestellt wird die Rolle der Konzernstrategien und der nationalen Besonderheiten in den Systemen industrieller Beziehung, insbesondere der Gewerkschaftspolitik fur die Durchsetzung "neuer Produktionskonzepte". Grundlage bilden empirische Erhebungen der Autoren in drei fuhrenden Automobilunternehmen an Produktionsstandorten in den USA, Grossbritannien und der Bundesrepublik sowie in japanischen Automobilbetrieben. Wir erleben heute einen tiefgreifenden Wandel in der Automobilindustrie, der in seiner historischen Tragweite vergleichbar ist mit der Durchsetzung des fordistischen-tayloristischen Regulationsmodells in der ersten Halfte dieses Jahrhunderts. Tayloristische Prinzipien der Arbeitsteilung und fordistische Prinzipien der Massenfertigung stehen heute ihrerseits zur Disposition. Aber was tritt an ihre Stelle? An Strategien und "neuen Produktionskonzepten" fehlt es nicht. Wie steht es aber mit ihrer Umsetzung in der betrieblichen Praxis? Gibt es konzern- und landerspezifische Profile in den Zielen und Schwerpunkten der Restrukturierung? Gibt es Leitbilder fur die Zukunft der Arbeit in der Automobilindustrie und wie setzen sie sich durch? Die Antworten in diesem Buch basieren auf einem umfassenden empirischen Forschungsprojekt des Wissenschaftszentrums Berlin fur Sozialforschung, das in drei fuhrenden Weltautomobilunternehmen in Produktionsstandorten in den USA, Grossbritannien und der Bundesrepublik und in der japanischen Automobilindustrie durchgefuhrt wurde. Die lander- und konzernubergeifende Vergleichsperspektive bildet die besondere Starke dieses Buches. Der Leser erhalt eine ausserordentlich materialreiche, anschauliche Darstellung aktueller Wandlungsprozesse im Charakter der Arbeit und der Gestaltungsoptionen im Hinblick auf die Zukunft der Industriearbeit.