ANTONIOS KANIADAKIS of Arts NatiO~l Library Bibliothèque nationale du Canzda Acquisitions and Acquisilions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395. ~e Wellingtan Onawa ON K1A ON4 Miawa ON KI A ON4 Canada Canada The author has granted a non- exclusive licence dowing the National Lhrary of Canada to reproduce, loan, distribute or sel1 copies of this thesis in microform, paper or electronic formats. The author retains ownership of the copyright in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's pemission. L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive permettant à la Bîbiiothèque nationale du Canada de reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou vendre des copies de cette thèse sous ia forme de rnicrofiche/~ de reproduction sur papier ou s u format élec ironique. L'auteur conserve la propriété du droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés ou autrement reproduits sans son autorisation. ABSTRACT This thesis is about the Human Factor Problem ( H F P ) , that is, the need to manaqe/control/coordinate people, and to incorporate them efficiently into particular settings and environments provided by specific systems and models of social and economic organization. Here the HFP is examined in relation to the area oE work and more specifically, the case of the automobile industry (AI). The HFP, in its present form, c d n be identified throuqh some current issues a d debates regarding recent developments in the systern of o r g a n i z a t i o n of work . In other words, the attempt of post- Fordist management to solve the HFP has generated' discussion among scholars regarding the socio-econornic implications of this attempt, in relation to workers, firms and to society as a whole. These issues and debates refer to workers' skills, democratization of the workplace and empowerment of the workers, union-management relationship, workplace surveillance, productivity and job satisfaction. Data, drawn £rom various case studies on the ?I and from relevant government reports and statistics, conclude that the successful attempt for resolution of the HFP is dependent upon various contingency factors, such as workers' interpretation of the post-Fordist system, wages, the degree of union involvement in the shop floor, the degree of intensity of the tasks, the degree of autonomy that workers experience, regional characteristics and other particularities. ACKNûüZE-S There are a few i n d i v i d u a l s involved i n t h i s thes is , d i r e c t l y o r i n d i r e c t l y , which 1 would l i k e t o thank. These i n d i v i d u a l s a r e : my f i r s t and second s u p e r v i s o r s D r . Elia Zureik and D r . David Lyon, my professors D r . Annette Burfoot, D r . Roberta Hamilton and D r . Bart Simon, and my close f r i e n d s Nicolas V a z i n t a r i s , P e t e r Diavolitsis and Yiota Taumpa. 1 would also like t o thank D r . Bob Pike who helped me dur ing my f i r s t days i n Kingston. Spec iâ l thanks t o my p r o f e s s o r s frorn the Unive r s i ty o f Cre te Dr. Minas Samatas and D r . i nva luab le suppor t . Last, but not Least , 1 WOU and e s p e c i a l l y rny mother Eirini Maria Kousis f o r ~ h e i r I d like to thank rny Eamily Kaniadakis, who h a s mosc p a t i e n t l y t o l e r a t e d my absence from Greece. This thesis is ded ica ted to the memory of my f û t h e r Konstant inos, whose s p i r i t has always been t h e g r e a t e s t source of knowledge and d i g n i t y , and aLso t o my beloved nephews Manos, Konstant inos, Giorgos, Konstant inos II, and t o my sweet newborn niece Beba. iii 2.1. TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY 8 2.2. TECHNOLOGY AND NORK 19 2.3. EVOLUTION OF WORK ORGANIZATION SYSTEMS 23 2.4. POST-FORDISM 3 1 3. THE H m FACTOR PROBLEM, CURREElT ISSUES AND SOCIETY 39 3.1. SKILLS 39 3.4. SURVEILLANCE AND PRIVACY 5 2 3-5 - PRODUCTIVITY 5 5 3.6. JOB SATISFACTION 5 7 3.7, THE HUMAN FACTOR PROBLEM AT THE LEVEL OF SOCIETY 6 I 4. THE HIIMAN FACTOR PROBLEM AND THE GLOBAL AUTO INDUSTRY 72 4.1. AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY - THE MODEL INDUSTRY 73 4.2. HISTORY AND PROFILE OF THE GLOBAL AUTO INDUSTRY 76 4 -3 . SKILLS AND AUTO INDUSTRY 86 4.4. DEMOCRATIZATION & EMPOWERMENT IN THE AUTO INDUSTRY 96 4-5- UNION-MANAGEMENT RELATIONSHIP IN THE AUTO INDUSTRY 100 4 . 6 . SURVEILLANCE, PRIVACY AND THE AUTO INDUSTRY 106 4 . 7 . PRODUCTIVITY AND THE AUTO INDUSTRY 1 0 9 4 . 8 . JOB SATISFACTION AND AUTO INDUSTRY 112 4 .9 . CONCLUSIONS I l 6 5. CONCLUSIONS 119 BIBLIOGRAPRY 12 9 This t h e s i s is about the management of the human factor in the context of the new technology in the manufacturing sector. In particular 1 want to assess the claims of post-Fordisrn, organizztions (orqanized in a specific way, with certain objectives), and product of t h e industrial revolution and of the capitalist mode of production. T h e i r ultimate organizational goal is to increase rheir profits and tu maintain their existence. Technology is a very important factor in the o p e r a t i o n of rnanufacturing industries, and since the foundütions of capitalism technology has played a significant role in the transformation and evolutlon of rnanufacturing. Technology, for manufacturing industries, is a t o o l that h e l p s t h e m achieve their goals. This is the context in which technoloqy is viewed by t h i s kind of economic organization. Traditionally, a major problern of the manufacturing industries was and remains what we will be r e f e r r i n g to as the Human Factor ~ r o b i e m (HFP) . Bow can industrial fims manage/coordinate/control the human factor, that is to Say, t h e workers, and integrate them Fnto the production p r o c e s s i n such a way t h a t t echnology w i l l a ch i eve t h e d e s i r a b l e r e s u l t s . However, t h e HFF does n o t o n l y r e f e r t o t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n o f work i n manufactur ing i n d u s t r i e s , b u t it r a t h e r r e f e r s t o t h e t o t a l i t y o f s o c i a l and economic l i f e . I t is a g e n e r a l problem of s o c i a l and economic o r g a n i z a t i o n o f a l 1 k inds o f s o c i e t i e s throughout h i s t o r y . A f t e r t h e i n d u s t r i a l r e v o l u t i o n and t h e r ise of c a p i t a l i s m , t h e HFP a p p e a r s more i n t e n s e and more complex. Thus, w e w i l l p rov ide a s o c i o - h i s t o r i c a l a n a l y s i s of t h e development and e v o l u t i o n of manufactur ing i n d u s t r i e s , w i t h i n t h e above c o n t e x t , d a t i n g back t o t h e i n d u s t r i a l r e v o l u t i o n , We can s e e what s t r a t e q i e s i n d u s t r i e s ' a p p l i e d i n o r d e r t o s o l v e t h e problern of managing humans. I n o t h e r words, w e wish t o f i n d o u t how t h e s e i n d u s t r i e s managed workers i n o r d e r t o make t h e b e s t o u t o f technology. For example, i n t h e d i f f e r e n t phases of t h e c a p i t a l i s t mode of p roduc t ion , what methods of c o n t r o l were used t o manage i n d u s t r i a l workers? How d i d w e proceed from Tay lo r ' s " s c i e n t i f i c management" t o p o s t - F o r d i s t management t e chn iques? Our a n a l y s i s w i l l b e informed by t h e d i s c u s s i o n about t h e s o - c a l l e d major s o c i o t e c h n i c a l " r evo lu t ions" caused by t h e e x p l o s i o n i n t h e development o f new in fo rma t ion t e c h n o l o g i e s and t h u s , w e will d i s c u s s t h e t r a n s i t i o n s t o different, more technologically advanced, industrial production paradiqms. We will see how new sophisticated technology, together with the general "humanization" of management, has changed the processes and strategies of integrating and controllinq workers into the production process. Therefore, with the coming of post-Fordism, alongside the information technology revolution, we are experiencing the realignment of hman management- Post-Fordism appears to have a solution to the problem posed by the human factor. More specifically, che post-Fordist proyram promises to address issues such as skilling/de-skilling; productivity, workplace democratization, surveillance/ relations. The post-Fordist paradigrn claims to produce positive outcomes regarding the above issues. In other words, the introduction of new technology and new management techniques appears to contribute to the upskilling of workers, increases in productivity, the democratization of the workplace through the introduction of new organizational models of production process (team- work, self-management etc.), an increase in job satisfaction, protection of the worker's privacy and the encouragement of cooperation with unions. Al1 these claims appear very appealing to both corporations and workers. If we consider these claims together with the actual practices that manufacturing industries follow, such as re-training of the workers, transfer of workers to different positions, introduction of team-work, re-organization of production process etc., we will be able to evaluate the attempts being made to solve the HEP, as well as the different level at which management is now exercised, Therefore, the assessment of the attempt of post-Fordist manâgement CO solve the HEP can be achieved through close examination of the current issues and debates that rise from that attempt. The investigation of the issues above can give an answer to whether or not post-Fordist management is successful, and also point to the implications resulting from management's attempt to solve the HFP for workers, firms and for society as a whole. fact calls for their more efficient integration and control within the framework of the whole production process. Unlike technology, which is relatively controllable, the human factor is seen as needing special treatment in order to becorne amenable to control. In this sense, we may argue that manufacturing industries require a particular type of worker, with s p e c i f i c c h a r a c t e r i s t t c s and q u a l i t i e s , which management s t r a t e g i e s t r y t o c r e a t e . Th i s type of r e q u i r e d worker seems t o change whi le t h e p r o d u c t i o n paradigms and t h e management s t r a t e g i e s a l s o change throughout h i s t o r y , b u t t h e a c t u a l g o a l remains t h e same: t o f i n d ways for t h e most e f f i c i e n t i n t e g r a t i o n of t h e worker i n accordance with t h e l e v e l s of technology t h a t c h a r a c t e r i z e t h e va r ious i n d u s t r i a l p roduc t ion systerns. A basic element of t h e no t ion of management is t h a t of power. Power, however, has t o be e x e r c i s e d i n a way t h a t i s l e g i t i m a t e , t h a t is CO Say, t o a c h i e v e desirable levels o f a u t h o r i t y . The whole d i s c o u r s e t h a t has been developed about t h e new methods o f management (empowerment o f t h e workers, more autonomy, end of b o r i n g and r e p e t i t i v e t a s k s , e t c . ) , that is t o Say, t h e whole p o s t - F o r d i s t program a s i t is presented above, p rovides such a promise f o r Legi t imat ion . O f course, w e must n o t i g n o r e the c o n t r i b u t i o n of t h e union movernents i n the i n d u s t r i a l t r a n s f o r m a t i o n and t h e humanization o f management. T h i s t h e s i s w i l l examine how manufac tur ing i n d u s t r i e s , i n l i g h t of t h e t e c h n o l o g i c a l development and t h e coming of post-E'ordism, have t r i e d t o solve t h e problem o f managing t h e human f a c t o r and t r a n s f o m i n g it i n t o p r o f i t a b l e human capital f o r t h e c o r p o r a t i o n . 1s management s u c c e s s f u l 7 Whether it i s o r no t , t h e s u r e t h i n g is t h a t p o s t - F o r d i s t practices moved t h e t a s k o f managing workers a t a d i f f e r e n t , more i n d i r e c t ( n o n - a u t h o r i t a r i a n } level . We w i l l c o n s i d e r , i n p a r t i c u l a r , t h e c a s e of t h e auto i n d u s t r y (AI) For t h e purposes of this r e s e a r c h p r o j e c t we w i l l draw v a r i o u s examples from t h e Canadian case and from o t h e r developed wes te rn c o u n t r i e s . Our d a t a will be based on secondary s o u r c e s and a l ready e x i s t i n g d a t a , such a s case studies, government r e p o r t s and s t a L i s t i c a l measures trom v a r i o u s c o u n t r i e s , most ly Erom North h e r i c a and Europe. T h i s t h e s i s c o n s i s t s o f t h r e e major and one conc lud ing c h a p t e r s . The f irst c h a p t e r d e a l s wi th the n a t u r e of technology and i t s r e l a t i o n t o s o c i e t y and work. Tt a l s o i n c l…