Volvisism is a way of organizing production that appeared in Sweden, in the 1960s. It received this name because it was developed by a Volvo engineer and deployed in three of the automaker's units between 1970 and 1980.
Characterized by the reconciliation between automated and manual processes, organizing workers into small groups, which have autonomy within them to delegate functions, according to competence. The groups act in a way that each of them have the ability to start and complete the assembly of a complete car in a few hours, alternating functions periodically. Qualification of the workforce and professional training are valued, since the worker must be able to act in any of the productive stages.
Read too: International Labor Organization (ILO)
What is volism?
The volusm is a production model which originated in one of the factories of the car maker Volvo, in the city of Kalmar, located in Sweden. this system emerged between the 1960s and 1970s, when the Fordist, Taylorist and Toyotist modes of production were already in vogue in the world.
One of the main aspects of volusm is the way in which the worker is inserted in the production and the way he works. acting throughout the assembly process, which is based on the high level of professional qualification and continuous learning and training, which contributes to the greater improvement of the workforce. Its biggest innovation compared to competing systems is the fact that the worker is not subject to the work rate of the machines, but the opposite: the individual, or the work group, is the one who determines how it will be carried out.
Volvo model was applied on an experimental basis in at least three units of the assembler and brought positive fruits for a given period of time for production in general, combining work inside the factory with the organization of workers outside it. It is noteworthy, however, that its implementation was possible thanks to the socioeconomic and political context of the country of origin.
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Volismo characteristics
Volismo can be defined as a flexible type of organization and industrial production model, associated with demand market. As is widely described in the literature, the system developed within the Swedish company sought to act in harmony with the union organizations, thus demonstrating the greater valuation of the worker.
When we talk about the different treatment of the individual within the units, we are not saying that new automated production techniques and information technology were abandoned. On the contrary, volusm sought to harmonize the two modes of production, placing, however, the individual at the center of the process operation, dictating and controlling the work pace.
All these decisions regarding the assembly process were carried out collectively, since the work was carried out in small groups (6 to 8 people), who acted in parallel and independently of each other with regard to the distribution of tasks. there was no hierairwork quiz within these units, and the assignment of functions was given according to competences|1|.
Each of the groups was responsible for starting and completing the assembly of a complete vehicle in a period that could last two hours or extend for up to four hours. According to Wood Jr. (1992), one of the demands made by unions was that the work cycles lasted 20 minutes, which was among the demands met for the implementation of the model at the time.
In volusm, the qualification of the professional is highly valued and, therefore, employees go through training and improvement processes that enable them to act on all productive fronts. Thus, the assembly process is dynamic, with the alternation between employees regarding the functions to be performed in the assembly process. The work groups also have their own rooms with a computer, bathroom, kitchen and showers.
See too: Advantages and Disadvantages of the Third Industrial Revolution
Advantages of Volismo
The volusm checked autonomy to the individual worker and also to work groups, ensuring a much more creative and flexible production|2|. It was a work environment aimed at the individual's well-being, well equipped to meet the needs of employees and with automation of the supply of parts and materials that would be used during the assembly of the vehicles.
The valuation of the worker also permeates shorter work cycles and the high degree of dynamism that the group and rotation system confers, in addition to its qualification encouraged by the company's own organizational system.
From the production point of view, constant worker training allows quick adaptability to qualitative variations in demand. Product quality control is carried out while production takes place, during its various stages, thus optimizing time and the assembly process itself. Furthermore, this model is designed to be less costly and also less capital intensive.
Disadvantages of Volism
As we highlighted at the beginning, the volusm was designed for a specific socioeconomic context, that of Sweden in the 1970s. In addition, the high qualification of workers was already a reality to which he adapted and incorporated, which facilitated its implementation on an experimental basis in the country.
Thinking in other contexts, volismo becomes a model with high implementation cost when taking into account both the qualification of the labor required and the adaptation of the manufacturing environment in places where other organizational systems are in vogue. Because it is a large-scale structural transformation, it would require time for the process to be effective and for the adequacy of all standards.
Furthermore, in places where there is little supply of skilled labor, the automation of steps in the production process could lead to unemployment. On the other hand, the low labor supply in general can make it difficult to maintain this model, as happened in Sweden.
history of volism
the volism appeared in the city of Kalmar, in southeastern Sweden, in the year 1960, at a time that coincided with the expansion of labor policies in the country, notably those oriented to the work of unions and the mandatory opening of the channel of dialogue between companies and workers regarding the structural changes in the units factories.
Between the 1960s and 1970s, Sweden had a high number of people employed and high level of professional qualification, which made new hiring processes for the Volvo automaker difficult. In addition, many young people were dissatisfied with organizational systems such as Taylorism, which presupposed the automation of the production process and less worker autonomy.
The arrival of a new chief executive at Volvo has led to the adoption of a production and organization model developed by engineer Emti Chavanmco, employee in the 1960s. During this period, Volvo was recognized as an innovative company in several aspects, and the new organizational production model became another one of them. During the 1970s and 1980s, volism was implemented in factories located in Kalmar (1974), Torslanda (1980/81) and Uddevalla (1989).
the volism was very well received, especially by the employees of these units., but it went into decay due to external and internal determinants, which were, mainly, The oil crisis, the increase in the price of vehicles, which destabilized the sector, and the lack of available labor combined with the low competitiveness of Volvo's product in the Japanese vehicle market.
See too: Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
What are the differences between Volismo, Fordism, Toyotism and Taylorism?
With the advancement of Industrial Revolution, several models of industrial organization were developed with the purpose of optimizing the production process, the first of which was Taylorism, which emerged at the end of the 19th century. Below we point out some of the characteristics of each of them in order to establish a comparison and point out their main differences.
Taylorism: high level of productive specialization, as each worker performs a single function. The work is repetitive and alienating, being carried out according to the time of each individual – as a result, it is necessary to optimize this time. Management is responsible for organizing and determining the functions, without worker autonomy. Furthermore, product quality control is carried out only at the end of the process.
Fordism: the work is also specialized, but it is carried out through assembly lines – who dictates the time is not the worker, but the machine and the conveyor belts. Like Taylorism, production must be carried out in the shortest time possible so that there is less expense, thus aiming at increasing profits. Product quality is verified at the end of the process.
Toyotism: model-based production just in time, without building stocks and responding to demand as it happens. There is no productive specialization, as the worker can perform more than one function. The work can be done together, and the worker has more autonomy than in previous models. Quality control takes place concurrently with production.
Volvisism: production model based on collective work, organized in small groups of people, who delegate their functions to each other. Workers have a high degree of autonomy. Professional qualification and constant training offered by the company are important, since the worker can work at any stage of production – there is no specialization. It combines automation with the production process, and there are no assembly lines: the groups work in parallel, and each one of them produces the goods from start to finish. Quality control is carried out during each production step.
solved exercises
Question 1 - “A materials warehouse, in the center of the factory, supplies six totally independent assembly workshops. The production capacity is 40,000 cars per year for a single work shift. The plant combines centralization and automation of the material handling system, with the use of highly specialized labor in a fully computerized system and flexible technology. The organization of work is based on groups. Workers were transformed from parts assemblers into vehicle builders. Thus, each group manages to assemble a complete car in a two-hour cycle.”
(WOOD JR., Thomas. Fordism, Toyotism and Volism: the paths of industry in search of lost time. Business Administration Magazine, São Paulo, 32(4): 6-18, 1992.)
The excerpt above describes the internal organization of a factory according to a mode of production developed in the second half of the 20th century. Point out, among the alternatives below, what this system is.
A) Toyotism.
B) Volvisism.
C) Fordism.
D) Taylorism.
Resolution
Alternative B. The excerpt details the organization of one of Volvo's factories opened in the 1970s.
Question 2 - Volismo is a model for organizing industrial production that emerged in Sweden in the 1960s. Its implementation took place on an experimental basis at Volvo factories, between 1970 and 1980, and this model was widely accepted by workers in particular. Read the alternatives below and check which one does not feature this system.
A) It guarantees autonomy to workers and is, therefore, classified as a model that sharpens creativity.
B) Provides for the organization of professionals into small groups.
C) Production takes place through an assembly line, which dictates the rhythm of the workers.
D) Values the qualification of the workforce and promotes training for professional improvement.
Resolution
Alternative C. The assembly line is characteristic of Fordism. In volismo, who sets the pace of work is the worker himself.
Grades
|1| NUNES, Rogério da Silva; CAIXETA, Douglas Rafael Almeida; AZEVEDO, Paola; CAROBREZ, Bruno Gonçalves. The socio-technical experience in the production environment: a discussion about volusm. Rev. Administration UFSM, Santa Maria, v. 2, n. 2, p. 235-249, May/Aug. 2009. Available in:. Accessed on June 05 2021.
|2| WOOD JR., Thomas. Fordism, Toyotism and Volism: the paths of industry in search of lost time. Business Administration Magazine, São Paulo, 32(4), p. 6-18, 1992. Available in:. Accessed on June 05 2021.
Image credit
[1] bibiphoto / Shutterstock
By Paloma Guitarrara
Geography teacher
