Large Corporations and the Emergence of a Flexible Economic System: Some Recent Developments in the UK

Discussion of flexibility by social scientists involves analysis at different levels: the individual, the organizational and that of the socio-economic system. Above the individual it is conventional to consider relationships at the level of the work group (in which case flexible work groups or manning systems are examined) or the level of the organization (where the different designs for the flexible firm and the extent of their adoption are analysed) or the labour market or societal level (where, for example, the type of jobs on offer in the economy as a whole and the responses to them are considered). Of course, discussions at these different levels are important; but at some point we have to consider the interconnections between them. Thus, although this chapter is mainly concerned with flexibility at the highest level, and will consider the emergence of a flexible economic system in the UK, it is recognized that this development rests on considerable adaptation at other levels. The relationship between these levels is not straightforward, however, and there are some unexpected conjunctures. Using Dan Jonsson’s analysis in this volume (see Chapter 3), the achievement of a flexible economic system of the kind seen in the UK is at the cost of considerable instability for some firms and many work groups and individuals.