The ideas and examples referenced below are notes compiled by Robert Keel and Shannon Mayer in their reading of Volti's, Society and Technological Change, 3rd ed., St. Martin's Press, 1995. They are intended for classroom use.
TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE AND LIFE ON THE JOB
Manufacture à the production of something by hand
For most of time this was the case, until the 18th cent.
Technological advance is constantly changing the nature of work
Industrial Production
Industrial production à
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 est. of new setting for work:
The Factory
Machine-Paced Labor
Industrial technologies makes work more regular and precisely scheduled
Machinery not cost effective when used irregularly à Shift work and odd working hours emerge
Worker loses autonomy Industrial technologies
"more despotic than the small capitalist who employs workers has ever been."
Friedrich Engels
Workers accomdate 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
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
See notes from previous chapters
Industrial Technology and the Division of Labor
Division of labor:
Scientific Management (Frederick Taylor)
Scientific Method is quite evident in technologically advanced societies
Industrial Work and Recent Technological Developments
The modern factor 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" à
As standards of living increase so does the desire for original goods and services
Technological Change and White-Collar Work
Number of workers in manufacturing has declined à <30% of labor force is in man. Sector
More and more white collar occupations exist
Technology plays an important role in this work
The Computer
Personal characteristics of employee plays a role in how technological change affects their work
Women and minorities are more adversely affected than men
IRS à computers reduced # of mid-level jobs à blocked advancement for women
Smart Technologies and Dumb Jobs
True à a growing # of jobs will require higher degrees of technical skill
True à plenty of jobs still require minimal levels of skill and training
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 à
The Labor Department reports the most needed jobs will be:
"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 workders as hostile and unreliable, workers will be treated as replaceable parts…. By constrast, 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." (170)