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Ergonomics, Employee Involvement, and the Toyota Production System: A Case Study of Nummi'S 1993 Model Introduction

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  • Paul S. Adler
  • Barbara Goldoftas
  • David I. Levine

Abstract

New United Motors Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) is a GM-Toyota joint venture that has been lauded by some for achieving performance based on high employee involvement, and criticized by others for intensifying work and harming workers. In 1993, OSHA cited NUMMI for paying insufficient attention to ergonomic issues during the introduction of a new car model. The authors analyze the origins of NUMMI's ergonomic problems and the responses of the company, union, and regulators. They also discuss a more ergonomically successful model introduction two years later. This case suggests that although employee involvement does not eliminate all divergence of interests between management and workers, it can change the terms of that divergence. When management reliance on employee involvement is complemented by strong employee voice and strong regulators, managers may find it in their interest to improve safety as a means of maintaining high employee commitment and thereby improving business performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul S. Adler & Barbara Goldoftas & David I. Levine, 1997. "Ergonomics, Employee Involvement, and the Toyota Production System: A Case Study of Nummi'S 1993 Model Introduction," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 50(3), pages 416-437, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ilrrev:v:50:y:1997:i:3:p:416-437
    DOI: 10.1177/001979399705000303
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kim B. Clark, 1989. "Project Scope and Project Performance: The Effect of Parts Strategy and Supplier Involvement on Product Development," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 35(10), pages 1247-1263, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. David I. Levine & Michael W. Toffel, 2010. "Quality Management and Job Quality: How the ISO 9001 Standard for Quality Management Systems Affects Employees and Employers," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 56(6), pages 978-996, June.
    2. Paul S. Adler & Barbara Goldoftas & David I. Levine, 1999. "Flexibility Versus Efficiency? A Case Study of Model Changeovers in the Toyota Production System," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 10(1), pages 43-68, February.
    3. Galasso, Alberto & Luo, Hong & Zhu, Brooklynn, 2023. "Laboratory safety and research productivity," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(8).
    4. repec:bla:glopol:v:8:y:2017:i:s3:p:66-77 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Rachna Shah & George P. Ball & Serguei Netessine, 2017. "Plant Operations and Product Recalls in the Automotive Industry: An Empirical Investigation," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 63(8), pages 2439-2459, August.
    6. Jenna E. Myers, 2024. "Triadic Technology Configuration: A Relational Perspective on Technologists’ Role in Shaping Cloud-Based Technologies," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 77(3), pages 307-335, May.
    7. Susan Helper & Rebecca Henderson, 2014. "Management Practices, Relational Contracts, and the Decline of General Motors," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 28(1), pages 49-72, Winter.
    8. Katherine C. Kellogg & Jenna E. Myers & Lindsay Gainer & Sara J. Singer, 2021. "Moving Violations: Pairing an Illegitimate Learning Hierarchy with Trainee Status Mobility for Acquiring New Skills When Traditional Expertise Erodes," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 32(1), pages 181-209, January.
    9. VG Sridharan & Michelle M. S. Phang, 2014. "Dependent on one but vulnerable to another: opportunism threats and control solutions for customization providers," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 54(2), pages 591-624, June.
    10. Jaren Haber, 2016. "Institutionalized Involvement: Teams and Stress in 1990s U.S. Steel," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(4), pages 632-661, October.
    11. Lamar Pierce & Daniel C. Snow & Andrew McAfee, 2015. "Cleaning House: The Impact of Information Technology Monitoring on Employee Theft and Productivity," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 61(10), pages 2299-2319, October.
    12. Luc Fransen & Brian Burgoon & Sijeong Lim & Aseem Prakash, 2017. "From Quality Control to Labor Protection: ISO 9001 and Workplace Safety, 1993–2012," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 8, pages 66-77, May.
    13. Richard N. Block, 2001. "Collective bargaining, competitiveness and employment in the United States," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 7(4), pages 697-715, November.

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