THE LABOR PROCESS IN CONSTRUCTION CONTROL WITHOUT BUREAUCRATIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL MEANS

The construction industry presents a challenge to current labor process theory. Data from a wide range of work settings suggest it is premature to conclude that management has succeeded in appropriating workers’ knowledge, accountability, and responsibility for work. Subcontracting, “lumping,” use of prefabricated materials, and other factors have undermined the centralization of managerial controls. Moreover, a craft ideology shared by workers, supervisors, and contractors pervades all types of work organizations. Finally, the labor market has become so fluid and dynamic that it no longer conforms to the traditional construct of an internal labor market. Since these observations likely apply to other work settings, a refinement of labor process theory is in order. © 1991, SAGE PUBLICATIONS. All rights reserved.