The term division of labor is developed from the allocation of the work of productive humans (work divide). Today the term is more generally used (national economy, company, family, organism, symbiosis). A task is to be fulfilled and many parts contributes to it. Division of labor is to be understood in the connection. A part is evenly (more functionally) a part of an entire one, an overall system. Division of labor causes dependence (loss of the independence) and requires a coordination.

By division of labor one understands each form of the allocation of social production in the social sciences about goods (goods and services) into different subprocesses, which are then implemented by different restaurant units (producer, manufacturing plants, regions). Each form of the division of labor presupposes an appropriate form of the work combination, i.e. the social organization of the unification of the different subprocesses.

Forms of the division of labor

Essentially following Karl books (the emergence of the national economy) can become different, however usually overlaying, forms of the division of labor distinctive. In particular

• the sexual division of labor, i.e. the allocation of different work between man and woman; the work combination takes place for example over reciprocity in the family; in Wildbeutergesellschaften rather regular collecting is incumbent on often the women and children), the intermittent chase and fishing the men; in an industrialized society however it concerns roughly the division between reproduktiven tasks, those the women is assigned itself here and productive tasks, which are given to the men;
• the vocational training, i.e. the specialization of producers and manufacturing plants on the production of certain kinds of goods and services. To the oldest occupations and sound ones might have belonged Schmiede here; the work combination takes place for example by moving trade, later on markets over exchange;
• the occupation splitting, i.e. the large specialization within existing branches of industry or occupation on subspecies of goods and services; Schmiede Schwertfegern etc. become e.g. rough grobschmieden, coppersmiths; the work combination takes place for example on markets over exchange;
• the work dismantling, i.e. the allocation of an individual production process into different subprocesses, which are noticed within an individual manufacturing plant of specialized workers (see Manufaktur; the work combination takes place over the operational (fiscal, business) expiration operational sequence;
• the production division, i.e. the allocation of a production process into different subprocesses, which take place in different (economically independent or dependent) manufacturing plants; the work combination finds over the operational expiration operational sequence (see Oikos) or market exchange instead of;
• the regional division of labor, i.e. the specialization of individual regions on the production of certain goods and services; the work combination takes place for example over remote trade;
• the international division of labor, i.e. the specialization of individual nations on the production of certain goods and services; the work combination takes place over the foreign trade, which can e.g. be obligation trade (see colonialism) or free trade.

Further there are the following partitionings:

• social division of labor, between humans, development of individual occupations - see also social differentiation
• operational division of labor, after operational functional areas
• economical division of labor, in primary sector, secondary sector and tertiary sector (see sector of the economy)
• international division of labor, in the world - see globalization, world economy.

Term of the division of labor in the political economy

Obviously Berne pool of broadcasting corporations Mandeville in its "“bee fable"” used the term of the division of labor for the first time (division OF labour).

The division of labor increases the productivity of the work after Adam Smith. This has among other things three reasons:

• Specialization and thus promotion of the "“larger skill of each individual worker"”
• Saving of time
• Technical progress

The specialization effectuation that on the part of the entire production process it concentrates participants (humans, enterprise, countries), with which it komparative advantages it has. Each participant knows the time and work expended, which he had to spend on other partial activities, now alone for those partial activities begin, in which he is particularly productive. This applies to national as to international division of labor (see the theory of komparativer cost advantages after David Ricardo).

Saving of time are explained with the famous pin example: An individual unskilled worker can manufacture few pins on one day only. The work divided into several handles (wire to pull, pinch off, to intensify head above drauf, a packing,"…), then for example five workers can manufacture thousands of pins on one day.

The technical progress comes by the fact to conditions that individual parts of a production procedure can be more easily improved. In addition, after today's view already the organization of production changed by the division of labor and the productivity gain obtained thereby are already "“technical progress"”.

Division of labor requires a co-ordination of the economic activities. The individual branches of production are strongly from each other dependent and must coordinate their production plans. In a free-market economy price-steered markets fulfill this function of the co-ordination.

See also: Taylorismus

Borders and dangers of the specialization

Karl Marx

Karl Marx likewise practiced criticism at the partitioning into work procedures ever more specialized. The worker is alienated from no human being-worthy conditions of work from the product of his work and is thus more suspended. In addition lower the increased necessity for unskilled work the meaning of the individual worker. In the earlier production method of the independent craftsmen due to its over years trained abilities a special meaning came to each worker. This disappears during increasing specialization. The individual worker is only a small generally speaking system - or an organ. The capital owner can gain by lowered labor costs more profit by his product. The increase in value of the product steige, which sinks power of the worker, the exploitation steige. Alienation from the production process and exploitation are therefore the main points of criticism, which Marx at this system practices.

Adam Smith

After Adam Smith is specialization limited by the "“extent of the market"”. This expression can be referred both to the inquiring and offer side. Demand-laterally a large specialization may not be necessary in small markets, since additional output cannot be set off anyway. Offer-laterally specialization can be set by the number of workers a border.

Smith sees beyond that also the dangers of the division of labor. Humans hebetate, if they exercise only an individual handle continuously. The vocational satisfaction by a comprehensive activity is given no more by simple and monotonous handles. As counter measure it demands improved training. It represents also the problems during mental specialization, with which for example a philosopher can become so practice substantial that he recognizes no more similarity with a carrier.

Gary Becker and Kevin M. Murphy

After Gary Becker and Kevin M. Murphy (1992) accompanies increasing specialization with a superproportional rise of the co-ordination costs. Thus borders are set to the specialization, which result from the controlling of the activities of specialized workers. This reason may be quite more important in many connections as the "“extent of the market"”. The beginning offers also an explanation contribution for the organization of companies and industries: if market co-ordination is cheaper, then specialization of companies on certain tasks takes place. In the contrary case workers within a company would specialize. Since transport costs can have a large portion of the co-ordination costs between companies, this beginning explains for example, why in larger cities more are to be found specialized companies and/or why certain industries at the same places to concentrate.

Articles in category "Division of labor"

We found here 1 articles.

Related Websites

We found here 4 related websites.

• Adam Smith: The Division of Labor
  To take an example, therefore, from a very trifling manufacture


• DIR Division of Labor Standards Enforcement - homepage
  The mission of the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) is to vigorously enforce minimum labor standards in order to ensure employees are not ...


• Division of Labour
  Division of Labour, Division of Labour ... Personally I oppose MW more on natural rights and slippery slope arguments than on harm to unskilled labor. ...


• United States Department of Labor
  The US Department of Labor is charged with preparing the American workforce for new and better jobs. DOL is responsible for the administration and ...