中小零細企業の生産システムと脱技能化過程-大田区機械工業を事例として-  [in Japanese] The Production System and the Process of Deskilling in Small Businesses: A Case Study of the Machine Industry in Ota Ward  [in Japanese]

This article explores skill formation in the changing production system of a small business and around changing social situations. As we know, the concept of JUKUREN has been using an ambiguous and indefinite concept in the debate of work in Japan. Meanwhile, we focused on the decomposition process of "Ban-no-JUKUREN" skilled worker (who is concerned with all the processes of the procuction system) in the workoplace. In this paper, we begin by defining JUKUREN at two levels based on both the qualities of the skills and the range of the skills. The first categorizes whether a worker is JUKUREN or not. The second distinguishs between JUKUREN concerned with all processes of the production system, or a few processes of the production system in the workplace. We called these two JUKUREN distinctly "Ban-no-JUKUREN" and "Tan-no-JUKUREN". By analyzing the decomposing process of "Ban-no-JUKUREN", we found the emergence of "Tan-no-JUKUREN" with highly specialized skills of using some machines for exclusive use. It caused three factors : firstly, the chronic lack of labor force in Ota Ward since the 1960s ; secondly, the division of production systems in the industry ; thirdly, the decrease of labor mobility between industries. In other words, the system of reproduction in Ban-no-JUKUREN turned into an internal rearing system from an external one in the late 1970s. Moreover, the emergence of NC (Numerical Controlled) machines has ruined the rearing system in the workplace. The skill formation system has gradually transfered from industry to school since NC machines appeared. Then, we can call the skilled worker who uses NC machine in the workplace "New-JUKUREN" Now there is a lack of reproduction system of Ban-no-JUKUREN in Ota Ward since the 1980s. As Piore and Sabel (1984) indicated, the progress of mass production must depend on coexistence with the craft system. This situation which has lost the reproduction system of skill formation in manufacturing industry will ruin the base of the Japanese economy in the 21st century.