ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses whether the industrial workplace was transformed following the internationalisation of Russian industry that began in the second half of the 2000s. It investigates whether the principles constituting the socialist path of industrial work in Russia were affected by the international quality management (QM) standards that gained popularity due to growing competition with international carmakers. The chapter provides basic information about plants, production processes and employees. It discusses the reorganisation of quality assurance. The chapter also discusses how the new QM standards influenced work organisation and whether they led to change in groups’ tasks. It investigates the impact of new QM standards on personnel development and focuses on the integration of quality-related competencies in workers’ qualification profiles. The chapter provides context information necessary for the analysis of the introduction of international QM standards. The studied plants include two automobile manufacturers and a supplier. They are comparable with regard to employee numbers.
