ECONOMIC-CRISIS AND THE CENTRALIZATION OF CONTROL OVER THE MANAGERIALPROCESS - CORPORATE RESTRUCTURING AND NEO-FORDIST DECISION-MAKING

I analyze the effects of the recent intensification of control over th e managerial process in a large steel corporation in the United States . Corporate restructuring was an attempt to overcome constraints on ca pital accumulation and resolve the contradictions and inefficiencies e mbedded in the previous controls over the managerial process. Formal c ontrols over the managerial process were intensified to standardize de cisions, improve product quality, and reduce costs. Additional finding s include: (1) discretion over many decisions was centralized in decis ion centers where conceptual activities were performed; (2) the new fo rmal controls increased surveillance over production managers; (3) man y decisions were eliminated, which reduced the need for some managers and eliminated four layers of the managerial hierarchy; and (4) the co rporation became more tightly coupled and more flexible. These Neo-For dist controls entailed a structure of capital accumulation that separa ted conception from execution while enhancing control over the manager ial process.