中小金属・機械工業における生産工程マイクロエレクトロニクス化と労働の変化(マイクロエレクトロニクス化と中小企業,総合研究)

It is possible to obtain the following conclusion when we look at the influence on labor by micro-elecronicization of production process in terms of qualitative change, especially when focus of our attention is set on small and medium-sized metal and machinery businesses. (1) The discussion over qualitative change of labor due to micro-electronicization of production process can be classified into two types as follows according to the contents of the theories discussed. 1) Theory of polarization of labor 2) Theory of qualitative advancement of labor (2) The typical views mentioned in the theory of polarization of labor are as follows. 1) Micro-electronicization causes such qualitative changes of labor as <deskilling> and <degradation of work> due to promotion of division of work at a workplace followed by segmentation of jobs. 2) Creation of very few <skilled labor> becomes enhanced by integration of jobs polarized by such segmentation of jobs. (3) One of the views mentioned in the theory of qualitative advancement of labor are as follows. 1) Although due to micro-electronicization the content of labor itself is inclined to get polarized a great deal with impact of technology. 2) since there are some labor control factors, polarization is not necessarily enhanced. Rather qualitative change such as <qualitative advancement of labor> becomes enhanced. (4) In the above two theories on qualitative change of labor by micro-electronicization, however, there is a theoretical analysis missing concerning what kind of technological nature micro-electronicization of production has. (5) In order to make a correct analysis of qualitative change of labor by micro-electronicization it is absolutely necessary to understand theoretically technological nature of micro-electronicization of production process in advance. Analysis of micro-electronicization of production process from the technological viewpoint results in clarifying the following characteristics. 1) Micro-electronicization of production process which is an application of electronic circuit technology enhanced capacity of information processing in the course of production to a great extent in terms of amount and speed. 2) The advanced information control made it possible to do operation control of instruments and machines during mechanical production without mechanical structure, because controlling system of mechanical production was separated from a mechanical structure by <numerical control>. 3) This resulted in increasing flexibility of control and mechanical function to a great extent. 4) Due to the transition of control principle feedback function in mechanical production which used to be dependent upon human ability was transferred to control system away from human labor itself. 5) Thus it became possible technically to mechanize or auto-mechanize the areas which were left without it. 6) In this sense, development of auto-mechanization by micro-electronicization made it possible to deal with quantitative understanding of operation indispensable to objectivization, standardization and formularization of mechanical labor thus made it possible to improve quality of mechanical production and to reorganize the labor system. 7) As for sub-contract system, micro-electronicization of a parent company demands unification, standardization and timely coordination to sub-contractors, small and medium sized businesses resulting in rapid micro-electronicization of their production process. (6) From the viewpoint of qualitative change of labor micro-electronicization of production process has characteristics as follows. 1) It does not change a principle of mechanical processing itself but 2) in the sense that regular control labor in machine operation is computerize it is <innovative>. Therefore it is possible to assume that this change of mechanical control principle causes qualitative change of labor. (7) The change of mechanical control principle, in another word micro-electronicization of production process, has two aspects such as separating control function from mechanical function and skilled labor by computerization of control funcion and, on the other hand, to increase decisively the importance of control function in production process. (8) Due to such two aspects in change of mechanical control principle, its impact on labor is seen in many ways. That is, micro-electronicization of production process technically enhances segmentation and simplification of labor, and at the same time enhances the resulting segmentation and integration of jobs to enable <qualitative advancement of labor>. Such qualitative change of labor can be explained by duality in change of mechanical control principle, not by the theories such as <polarization of labor> or <qualitative advancement of labor>.