Flexible Specialization: A New Paradigm for Modern Industrial Society ?

柔軟的 專門化(Flexible Specialization) : 현대 産業社會의 새로운 패러다임 ?

There is much speculation that modern capi-talist society is undergoing fundamental and qualitative chnge towards flexible specialization. The purpose of this study is to examine this hypothesis. This paper focusses on: the idea of flexible specialization; the significance of this transition; industrial district; and the implicati-ons of this new production system for Korean industrial space. Main arguments of this study are as follows: First, as all different groups of researchers apply the idea of flexible specialization according to their own specifications, the current debate on this topic is not much fruitful. Not surpri-singly, the concept of flexible specialization has overlapped with subocontracting. This intergration of subcontracting into flexible specialization systems, however, is inappropriate because the two concepts have different historical contexts. The other cause of this controversy is its inherent weekness, conceptual ambiguity. Thus, today's flexibility becomes tomorrow's rigidity. Secondly, transition towards flexible speciali-zation has only been partially achieved even in advanced capitalist countries. The application of dualistic explanatory framework, such as rigidity versus flexibiity, mass production versus small-lot multi-product production, and de-skilling versus re-skilling, has resulted in great exaggeration of the transformation, from Fordism to post-Fordism. There is no intermediary part between two places. Considering that the workers allocated to the Fordist mass production assembly line are not as large as one might imagine, the shift from mass to flexible production has only limited implications for the transformation of capitalist economy. Thirdly, 'industrial district' contorversy has contributed to highlighting the importance of small firms and areas as production space. The agglomeration of small firms in specific areas is common in Korea, but it is quite different from the industrial district based on flexible specialization. The Korean phenomenon stems from close interactions with its major parent firm rather than interactions between flexible, specialized, autonomous and technology-intensive smll firms. Most Korean subcontractors are still low-skilled, labour-intensive, and heavily dependent on their mojor parent firms. Thus, the assertion that the Seoul Metropolitan Area adopts flexible specialization has no base. Fourthly, the main concern of flexible speciali zation is small firms. However, the corporate organization that needs product diversification and technological specialization is oligopolistic large corporations typified by multinational corporations. It is because of this that most of these organizations are adoptiong Fordist mass production methods. The problem of product diversification will be resolved naturally if economic internationalization progresses further. What is more important for business success is the quality and price competitiveness of firms rather than product diversification. Lastly, in order to dispel further misunderst-anding on this issue, it is imparative that the conceptual ambiguity is resolved most urgently. This study recommends adoption of more speci-fied and direct terminology (such as, factory automation, computer design, out-sourcing, the exploitation of part-time labor, job redesign) rather than that of ideological ones (such as, Taylorism, Fordism, neo-Taylorism, neo-Fordism, post-fordism, flexible specialization, peripheral post-Fordism). As the debates on this topic just started, we still have long way to go until consensus is reached.

현대 자본주의 사회가 대량생산체제에서 유연적 전문화 생산체제로 질적인 변화를 겪고 있다는 주장이 사회과학계를 풍미하고 있다. 이 글의 목적은 이러한 柔軟化論者들의 주장을 개관하고 그 문제점을 살피는 데 있다. 유연적 전문화 논의는 개념 자체가 지극히 관념적이고, 상대적일 뿐만 아니라 학자들 간에 용어사용에 대한 의견일치가 이루어지지 안하아 현재 혼란의 와중에 있다. 유연적 생산체제로의 移行은 二分論的인 설명방식의 사용으로 과장된 측면이 많은데, 실제는 선진 자본주의 국가에 있어서도 매우 부분적으로만 진행되고 있는 상태이다. 한국의 경제와 국토공간은 대규모 기업집단과 그들의 중층적 하청조직에 의해 그 골격이 형성되어 있는 관계로 柔軟化論의 한국에의 적용은 많은 注意를 요한다. 현재의 혼란으로부터 벗어나기 위해 가장 우선적으로 해결해야 할 문제점은 용어의 적용대상 및 적용범위를 통일하는 일이다.