A Comparison of factory management at assembly shops at Volkswagen and Toyota

Abstract:

The paper discusses differences in detail of quality and productivity management at factory levels. It argues that the differences coincide with differences of HRM systems between both companies. The characteristics between factory management systems and HRM systems are closely interlinked with the consequence that the overall systems are self contained and difficult to change fundamentally. Focusing on issues of management control the paper draws attention on aspects which have been neglected in the production system debate so far.