Alienation in a digitalized world

AI & SOCIETY - Tập 37 - Trang 801-814 - 2022
Trond Haga1
1Aker Solutions, Stord, Norway

Tóm tắt

In this paper, the aim is to study how the work organization in one specific company for one specific trade has changed over time and with these changes, the presence and absence of alienation of employees in this trade. Blauner’s U-shaped alienation development trend has been a reference in discussions on alienation. It displays a connection between the degree of alienation and technological development. The findings from this study verify the trend and the connection in the case company. However, although the development trend may look similar to that of Blauner’s model, it is differently founded. Where previous studies highlight the production system, including technology, as crucial to the presence of alienation, this study documents that external conditions outside or partly outside the company’s control—such as digital information availability, product complexity, and quality requirements—will determine the presence of alienation. Thus, researchers should adjust the content of the concept of alienation accordingly.

Tài liệu tham khảo

Amble N (2013) Autonomy and control when working with humans—a reflection on sociotechnical concepts. Nord J Work Life Stud 3(4):45–62 Arnstein SR (2019) A ladder of citizen participation. J Am Plan Assoc 85(1):24–34 Blauner R (1964) Alienation and freedom: the factory worker and his industry. University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London Braverman H (1974) Labor and monopoly capital: the degradation of work in the twentieth century. Monthly Review Press, New York Brynjolfson E, McAffe A (2014) The second machine age. In: Work, progress, and prosperity in a time of brilliant technologies. Norton, New York and London Carmin J (1993) Authentic presence: identity, structure, and the enactment of beliefs in environmental movement organizations. Dissertation, Cornell University Corlett JA (1988) Alienation in capitalist society. J Bus Ethics 7(9):699–701 Cummings TG, Worley CG (2001) Organizational development and change, 7th edn. South Western, Cincinatti Deery SJ, Plowman DH (1991) Australian industrial relations, 3rd edn. McGraw Hill, Sydney Foley DC (2004) Technology and knowledge: the affirmation of power. AI & Soc 18(4):310–333 Govers M, Amelsvoort P (2018) Digital technology requires other design routines. In: Social design questions must precede technical design questions. Paper at STS Roundtable 2018. http://stsroundtable.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Mark_Pierre-Digi-Tranformation.pdf Grove K, Byrkjeland M, Erlien T et al. (2019) Verftet på Stord 1919–2019. Fagbokforlaget, Bergen Haddad AT, Senter R Jr (2017) The relationship of technology to workers’ alienation. Sociol Focus 50(2):159–182 Haga T (1993) Stordabuen går offshore. Arbeid og fagleg politikk ved AS Stord Verft 1970–83, AHS Serie A 1993–94. Dissertation, University of Bergen Healy M (2020) Marx and digital machines—alienation, technology, capitalism. University of Westminster Press, London Herbst D (1974a) A learning organization in practice, socio-technical design: Strategies in multi-disciplinary research. Tavistock Publications, London Herbst D (1974b) Designing with minimal critical specifications, socio-technical design: strategies in multi-disciplinary research. Tavistock Publications, London Hertzfeld M (1993) The social production of indifference, exploring the symbolic roots of western bureaucracy. University of Chicago Press, Chicago Hodson R (1996) Dignity in the workplace under participative management: alienation and freedom revisited. Am Sociol Assoc 61(5):719–738 Hughes C, Southern A (2019) The world of work and the crises of capitalism: marx and the fourth industrial revolution. J Class Sociol 19(1):59–71 Israel J (1972) Om fremmedgjøring. Fra Marx til moderne sosiologi. Pax Forlag, Oslo. Legge K (2005) Human resource management: rhetoric and realities. Palgrave Macmillian, Houndmills Marx K (1993) Grundrisse: foundations of the critique of political economy. Penguin Classics, London Marx K (1995) Kapitalen. Kritikk av den politiske økonomien. Oktober Forlag, Oslo Moorkamp M (2019) Operating Under High-Risk Conditions in Temporary Organizations. A sociotechnical systems perspective. Routledge, New York and London O’Donohue W, Nelson L (2014) Alienation: An old concept with contemporary relevance for human resource management. Int J Organ Anal 22(3):301–316 Oldham GR, Hackman JR (2010) Not what it was and not what it will be: the future of job design research. J Organ Behav 31(2–3):463–479 Polanyi K (2001) The great transformation. The political and economic origins of our time. Beacon Press, Boston Ravn JE, Øyum L (2020) Towards ‘multi-collar’ unionism: cases of trespassing professionals in Norwegian industrial relations. Econ Ind Democr 41(4):887–909 Seeman M (1959) On the meaning of alienation. Am Sociol Rev 24(6):783–789 Weick K, Roberts KH (1993) Collective mind in organizations: heedful interrelating on flight decks. Adm Sci Q 38(3):357–381 Zuboff S (1988) In the age of the smart machine: the future of work and power. Basic Books, New York