Operations Management of Human Resources in the 1990s

British operations management should place greater emphasis on maintaining employee relations. Advanced manufacturing systems pose people problems as well as technical problems. People may have to be managed in a different way to maximise business advantage. Failure to manage people alongside technological development will result in poor financial results and increasing disillusionment of managers and employees with new technology. Key trends in technology, their impact on employment and their subsequent consequences for operations management are considered. New management techniques of Just‐in‐Time (JIT), Quality Circles (QC) and Operation Process Control (OPC) are discussed. The future role of operations management of human resources is discussed and indicates that there is a need to move from a control to a commitment orientation in the workplace.