Beyond Industrial Self-Management

Abstract

Self-management was first introduced in industry. From there it started to spread and to enter other organizations. Some incipient forms of self-management began to appear in hospitals, schools and similar organizations around 1957. The beginnings of self-management in these institutions were slow, however, because one major attraction of self-management was missing: self-managed income distribution. Around 1957, self-management had no ‘material base’. Change came in sight in 1961 when it was proposed to decide on the allocation of funds from federal, republican or communal budgets to social service institutions through self-managerial methods. This remained a proposal at first; but based on the Constitution of 1963, a law was passed which accorded self-managerial status to all forms of associated labour regardless of the type of activity performed. Under the provisions of this law, all institutions had the right and duty to choose their organs of management and to decide on their activity, income distribution, conditions of work, remuneration and future development through self-management.