ABSTRACT
The mass-production model has existed to varying degrees in factories, services, and offices through most of the twentieth century. It is characterized by an extensive division of labor, a clear separation between the planning and the execution of work, the resulting deskilling of production workers, and a drive by management to minutely monitor and control all aspects of work. Today, it is argued, “new production models” are emerging with the increased application of information technologies in the workplace. These production systems can be seen as somewhat analogous to continuous processing. 1 While continuous processing is not a new means of organizing work, its extension into new areas of manufacturing, and more significantly into services and information processing, is new. Continuous processing in the service and information handling sectors reduces the unproductive duplication characteristic of mass production, resulting in the merging of formerly distinct stages and significantly condensed procedures.
