Optional Options: Work Design and Manufacturing Automation

EAN/UPC/ISBN Code 9781856284905

Brand Avebury

For centuries, scholars in many countries have been investigating a variety of topics within the generic theme "work and technology". Research in this field has gained momentum with the development and gradual diffusion of computerized machines such as CNC-machines and industrial robots. Yet, research shows a remarkable tension between the widely rejected notion of "technical determinism" on the one hand and an emphasis on the impact of "technology" on the other hand. Dr Benders sets out to demonstrate that there is only a moderate impact of a specific technical system on job content. Using ten case-studies on the division of labour around arc wielding robots, the concepts of "output characteristics" and "design orientations" are shown to have a larger impact on job design around technical systems.