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Introducing Cellular Manufacturing: Operations, Human Resources and High‐Trust Dynamics
Author(s) -
Procter Stephen J.,
Hassard John,
Rowlinson Michael
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
human resource management journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.44
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1748-8583
pISSN - 0954-5395
DOI - 10.1111/j.1748-8583.1994.tb00366.x
Subject(s) - discretion , cellular manufacturing , management styles , dynamics (music) , style (visual arts) , management , resistance (ecology) , process (computing) , business , sociology , operations management , computer science , economics , political science , art , law , ecology , pedagogy , literature , biology , operating system
Stephen Procter, John Hassard and Michael Rowlinson investigate the introduction of cellular manufacturing in two units of a large British engineering group. They explore the reasons for its introduction – in both cases it was the cumbersome, functionally‐based system of production that precluded quick and easy reaction to changes in conditions – and the effects such as the flattening of the organisational structure and the new role of the cell leader. A comparison of the two companies shows the difficulties involved in trying to enhance discretion by means of a process that was explicitly low‐trust in nature. In one case an open and participative style was used which appeared to meet with success. In the second case, management adopted a closed and uncommunicative style which induced indifference and, at worst, resistance. Stephen Procter and Michael Rowlinson are Lecturers in the School of Management and Finance at the University of Nottingham, and John Hassard is Professor in the Department of Management at the University of Keele.