Work Organizational Reforms and Employment Relations in the Automotive Industry

This book sheds insights on GM's failed attempt through the analysis of work organization reforms and labor-management relations on production-system efficiency. The book will be a useful reference for those interested in comparative study of management styles and better understanding of Japanese manufacturing practices.

General Motors (GM)'s attempt to adapt the renowned Toyota production system for its own automotive manufacturing plants had historically produced disappointing results. Why was it not sufficiently successful? This book aims to shed insights into GM's failed attempt through the analysis of work organization reforms and labor-management relations on production-system efficiency.

The book examines collective bargaining agreements between automakers and the United Auto Workers union and the arbitration rulings in retrospect to illuminate the critical role continuous improvement activities initiated by production workers would play in enhancing performance management. It also looks at the impact of the meritocratic system in Japanese auto plants on performance success. As GM begins operations at its new electric vehicle assembly plant, Factory Zero, the book analyses the challenges of such production for both employment relations and workforce deployment.

The book will be a useful reference for those interested in a comparative study of management styles and a better understanding of Japanese manufacturing practices.

Autorentext

Kenichi Shinohara is Professor at the Division of Business Administration, Kyoto Sangyo University, Japan.

Klappentext

General Motors (GM)'s attempt to adapt the renowned Toyota production system for its own automotive manufacturing plants had historically produced disappointing results. Why was it not sufficiently successful? This book aims to shed insights into GM's failed attempt through the analysis of work organization reforms and labor-management relations on production-system efficiency. The book examines collective bargaining agreements between automakers and the United Auto Workers union and the arbitration rulings in retrospect to illuminate the critical role continuous improvement activities initiated by production workers would play in enhancing performance management. It also looks at the impact of the meritocratic system in Japanese auto plants on performance success. As GM begins operations at its new electric vehicle assembly plant, Factory Zero, the book analyses the challenges of such production for both employment relations and workforce deployment. The book will be a useful reference for those interested in a comparative study of management styles and a better understanding of Japanese manufacturing practices.

Inhalt

1. Achievements and problems in American work organizational reform: A case study of the automobile industry 2. The development of seniority rights and establishment of rules for job transfer and promotion in the United States: General Motors Corporation 3. Work organization reform (1): The case of General Motors Plant A 4. Work organization reform (2) 5. GM's Global Manufacturing System (GMS) and the union 6. Conclusion