THE NEW MERLINS OR TAYLOR'S AUTOMATONS? COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY, SKILL AND THE LABOR PROCESS (WORK INNOVATION, COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN (CAD))

The introduction of microelectronic based industrial technologies into the workplace rises anew concerns about the deskilling and degradation of work. Many studies of the current "new industrial revolution" predict the work force will be sharply divided into highly skilled engineers programming and controlling the production apparatus, and button-pushing automatons conducting the little physical execution of work still necessary.;This study is of CAD use in a diverse groups of companies ranging from small electronics start-up firms, large computer and electronics companies, to large Fortune 500 aerospace companies. The research was conducted through field research, involving observation and in-depth interviews with CAD users, managers, sales people and developers.;Although some describe CAD as the "Trojan Horse of Taylorism," such predictions are but fanciful flights of imagination. The impact of CAD systems has been to slightly upgrade the knowledge and skills required of the board designer and expand his or her role in the design process.;This analysis of CAD technology suggests that the most effective deployment of microelectronic technology in general requires increases in worker autonomy and skill. Unlike many previous analyses of technology, this analysis finds that technological development, in practice, is most effectively employed in an environment that is at least marginally beneficial to workers and organized in a manner antithetical to the principles of Taylorism. Recognizing the dynamic nature of innovation leads to the conclusion that deskilling and automation will occur in only a limited range of industries and production processes where product development and the production process are already highly rationalized and relatively static.;The Computer-Aided Design (CAD) system is a technology which holds forth the realization of such predictions. With sophisticated software for automating printed circuit board design, many from both industry and academia claim that CAD systems will reduce board designers to button-pushers while shifting what skilled work remains into the domain of high level engineers. The impact of this technology, as the most widespread computer-based industrial technology in use, is thought to be typical of the ways the "computer revolution" will transform most types of work.