A company can undo a generation of organizing and collective bargaining by redesigning the technology of the workplace. Unions must define a different vision of how production can be organized--a vision that is worker centered and skill based--and struggle for it in decision-making arenas of government and private enterprise. (Author)

Technology in the workplace can raise productivity, but often the cost is deskilled jobs or unemployment for both blue- and white-collar workers. Vocational education must adjust curriculum, instruction, and research to understand how work is changing and how best to prepare workers. (SK)

The deterioration of the quality of work and the resulting impact on workers are of increasing concern. Those being prepared for entry into the workplace can also be prepared for the context and condition of work. (SK)

Discussion of the effect on the workforce of the application of electronic data processing technologies to information handling activities highlights task specialization; white collar alienation; feelings of powerlessness, meaninglessness, and normlessness in workers; the chronology of automation; and experimentation and communication. Nineteen…

Each new report of the office automation market indicates technology is overrunning the office. The impacts of this technology are described and some ways to manage and physically "soften" the change to a computer-based office environment are suggested. (Author/MLW)

This paper reviews the work environment surrounding integrated office systems, synthesizes the known effects of automated office technologies, and discusses their impact on work efficiency in office environments. Particular attention is given to the effect of automated technologies on networks, workflow/processes, and organizational structure and…

Reviews the work environments surrounding integrated office systems, and synthesizes the known effects of automated office technologies with regard to their impact on information networks, work flow/processes, and organizational structure and power. (CLB)

The need for higher education to plan curricula based upon generalizable human, analytical, and technical skills is discussed in view of historical and economic changes, productivity questions, demographic projections, and employment forecasts. Questions are posed regarding the form of undergraduate education that will best prepare the college…

This article cites a variety of sources and synthesizes a number of studies on the social implications of technological innovations (microelectronics). These studies were related to six European and Asian countries and were also concerned with the international division of labor. (SSH)

These proceedings contain presentations (speeches, discussions, papers) from a conference on how office automation is affecting the work lives and employment future of clerical workers. They include a "Welcome to the [National] Academy [of Sciences]" (Roslyn Feldberg), "Opening Remarks" (Lenora Cole Alexander), and "Goals…

This congressional report contains testimony given at the first of a series of comprehensive hearings on the impact of automation on employment and the workplace. Included among those agencies and organizations represented at the hearing were the following: the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers; the American Federation…

The traditional systems used to produce goods and services in this country are being challenged by evolving alternatives. The focus of these new alternatives is on the human element in the work force. Studies in adult work attitudes indicate that a more humanistic system is needed to promote productivity. Inherent in the human condition is the…