Practice of industry – mismanagement of people

Abstract

This article highlights recent research on the impact of technical and organizational changes on workers in industry. Based on an analysis of changes in management-control principles and practices accompanying automation, the article presents one case of a number of in-depth studies. The case demonstrates the impotence of workers when, despite formal participative rights, management introduces technical changes derived from models void of human values. When computers enter into the critical operations of a labor process, the workers' abilities to understand and contest management decisions are sharply reduced. Loyalty disappears and productivity goes down.