ABSTRACT
As it is widely known, the concept of flexibility inherent in the capitalist mode of production. In this study, the practices, which are tried to fill the concept of flexibility with a labor-centered approach, will be discussed. To handle this issue we firstly draw a theoretical framework on the nature of capitalist work, division of labor, Taylorism and, Fordism. Then, modern business management practices, compared with the self-management practices which rise of the 2000’s in Latin America. Both the enterprises controlled by the workers and some cooperatives which the state participate in as a shareholder the organization of labor process are much more human oriented than capitalist counterparts. These practices include, compensative work amongst workers who works more or less sometimes and job-protection in contrast to mainstream flexibility paradigm, unless soldiering become obvious. In the paper, we will consider pioneer self-management practices and we will not discriminate these practices based on country or sector. Main reason of this choice is, to make possible to evaluate self-management practices within different accumulation levels and different cultures in terms of flexibility. This evaluation searches the answer of this question; can labor-centered flexibility be possible at firm level?
Keywords : Crisis, Flexibility, Self-management, Latin America, New Cooperativism
