Technological Change and Life on the Job

1. Technological Change and Life on the Job Volti Chapter Ten

2. Manufacture - the production of something by hand • For most of time this was the case, until the 18th century • Technological advance is constantly changing the nature of work

3. Industrial Production • Industrial production - requires large amount of energy • Traditionally, wood and plants burned for fuel - human and animal labor provided power • Today, fuel is petro-based, machines supply power • Power driven machinery • The water wheel • Steam engines • Power driven machinery complemented by the establishment of new setting for work:

4. The Factory • Work no longer done in artisan shop • No longer self-employed artisan • "Employee" emerges • Worker is socially and psychologically separate from employer and work • Factory increases production exponentially • Factory made close managerial control possible

5. Machine-Paced Labor • Industrial technologies makes work more regular and precisely scheduled • Machinery not cost effective when used irregularly - shift work and odd working hours emerge

6. Worker loses autonomy • Industrial technologies “…more despotic than the small capitalist who employs workers has ever been" (Friedrich Engels)

7. Workers accommodate themselves to the demands of the machinery "They [locomotives] come and go with such regularity and precision, and their whistles can be heard so far, that farmers set their clocks by them, and thus one well-regulated institution regulates a whole country. Have not men improved somewhat in punctuality since the railroad was invented? Do they not talk and think faster in the depot than they did in the stage office?" (Henry David Thoreau)

8. Is Technology to Blame? • Fundamental question: • Does technology determine a basic human process such as work, or is technology itself shaped by economic and social relationships? • An important feature of technology is that it is used in stages, on a small scale and is expanded as experience with it is gained. • Some of the factors that contribute to gaining experience are social and political

9. Industrial Technology and the Division of Labor • Division of labor: • Reduces production costs • Makes managerial control easier to exert • Workers are not specialized, can be easily discarded and replaced • In an assembly line, production regulated by managers rather than workers - more control • Scientific Management (Frederick Taylor) • The precise scheduling & organizing of work activities • Procedures are NEVER left to the workers discretion • Scientific Method is quite evident in technologically advanced societies

10. Industrial Work and Recent Technological Developments • The modern factory cannot run as the perfect machine, with no kinks or problems • Breakdowns will inevitably occur and workers will need to address these challenges • Thus, training workers to be blind robots is undesirable and ultimately detrimental to technological progress • Also, consumers do not want the same thing as "The Jones“ - as standards of living increase so does the desire for original goods and services

11. Technological Change and White-Collar Work • Number of workers in manufacturing has declined - < 30% of labor force is in manufacturing sector • More and more white collar occupations exist • Technology plays an important role in this work

12. The Computer • Has created need for greater expertise in clerical work • Acts as the electronic equivalent to a supervisor • Personal characteristics of employee plays a role in how technological change affects their work • Women and minorities are more adversely affected than men • IRS - computers reduced number of mid-level jobs - blocked advancement for women

13. Smart Technologies and Dumb Jobs • True - a growing number of jobs will require higher degrees of technical skill • True - plenty of jobs still require minimal levels of skill and training • But, high technology are more the exception than the rule • The bulk of new jobs will require rather modest skills • AND, despite all the growth of technology - The Labor Department reports the most needed jobs will be: • Salespersons • Waiters and waitresses • R.N.s • janitors • cleaners • cashiers • truck drivers • office clerks • food counter workers • secretaries

14. Thus… "Basic organizational patterns are the most important determinant of the skill used by workers. When there is a strong division between those who manage and those who work, and when managers view their workers as hostile and unreliable, workers will be treated as replaceable parts…. By contrast, when a more democratic and egalitarian order prevails, technologies that require the initiative and commitment of workers are more likely to be selected, and workers will be given a chance to develop their skills and take their places as valued members of the organization."