The article examines the relationship between lean production and Industrie 4.0 focusing on the question of autonomy in the work process. In contrast to the claim made by official Industrie 4.0 concepts that the autonomy of the employees would increase, we see in the current implementation...

In the US, corporate restructuring of financial and physical assets as well as work systems has been widespread. Our study examines the inter-relationship between ‘creative' work systems and ‘destructive' markets, using a sample of US manufacturing firms in the metalworking, jet engine...

Advocates of lean production argue that a work system is truly lean only if a given bundle of practices, including worker empowerment, is implemented in the proper configuration. In contrast, my interviews and observations in six US manufacturing plants demonstrate that substantive empowerment...