Abstract

During the four decades of my professional career, manufacturing has been subdued to a radical change from objectifying to subjectifying work. The evolution of the originally prevailing Taylor model with its functionally divided and highly mechanised work processes culminated in the 1980s in the rise and fall of computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) contested by the alternative approach of human-centred production systems. The change process then went through phases of confusion and experimentation, in which competence-based manufacturing strategies and structures have been crystallising in sharp contrast to the majority of less sustainable forms of organisational renewal. The paper reflects on main features of this transformation process as it has been mirrored in my own research work and relates major findings to the work of others.