ABSTRACT
Lean production with its more flexible brand of social organization has assumed the mantle of the dominant form of the division of labor from Fordism. The labor process and job security appear by comparison to be the welcomed part of the model, but the stress and overtime are not. Further, the macro-politics of lean production seems to be friendlier to conservative and business circles. Replacing Fordism, lean production, and Toyotism have become the dominant form of the new division of labor, with three models that embrace lean principles. Industrial engineering is the most comprehensive approach to lean production, but it and the other disciplines involved with lean production need to broaden their disciplinary lenses to consider work being done in other fields. The chapter also presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book.
