1. Futurism, Managerialism, Romanticism
MN 3126 Cyberpsychology at Work
Lecture 4
John Cromby

2. OVERVIEW
Introduction
Futurism
Managerialism
Romanticism

3. Introduction Technology is (at least) double edged
it can have unintended consequences
even its intended consequences always come at some cost
its costs and benefits are rarely distributed evenly
Technological determinism: technological innovation determines social development
Social determinism: social choices determine technological development

4. Introduction The three perspectives in this lecture are:
styles of thinking, writing and talking
typical ways of interpreting evidence
patterns of claims made for or to do with technology
They are not formal theories
Their influence or relevance will often have to be inferred by you

5. Introduction

6. Futurism
Most commonly associated with a European art movement of the early 20th century
The Futurist Movement saw huge potentials in the new technologies of its time:
cinema, radio, phonography
telegraphy, telephony
transport
manufacturing

7. Futurism
“.. we will sing of the vibrant nightly fervour of arsenals and shipyards blazing with violent electric moons; greedy railway stations that devour smoke- plumed serpents; factories hung on clouds by the crooked lines of their smoke; bridges that stride the rivers like giant gymnasts, flashing in the sun with a glitter of knives; adventurous steamers that sniff the horizon; deep-chested locomotives whose wheels paw the tracks like the hooves of enormous steel horses bridled by tubing; and the sleek flight of planes whose propellers chatter in the wind like banners and seem to cheer like an enthusiastic crowd.”

8. Futurism Technology was bringing fundamental change to society
Its effects were seen by the Futurists as almost universally positive:
freedom from work and manual labour
better communication
increased wealth
freedom of expression
understanding and mastery of the world

9. Futurism
In OS, new technology is often said to enable organisations to achieve:
higher quality
increased productivity
faster communication
flexibility
happier customers
lower costs
it is therefore said that organisations must change their day-to-day functioning to reap its benefits (e.g. Davidow & Malone, 1992)

10. Futurism
An example: Enterprise Resource Planning
“business process management software that allows an organization to use a system of integrated applications to manage the business and automate many back office functions related to technology, services and human resources”

11. Futurism
“The tangible benefits that accrue due to ERP include: reduction of lead time by 60 per cent, 99 per cent on-time shipments, increased business, increase of inventory turns to over 30 per cent, cycle time cut to 80 per cent and work in progress reduced to 70 per cent. The intangible benefits include: better customer satisfaction, improved vendor performance, increased flexibility, reduced quality costs, improved resource utility, improved information accuracy and improved decision making capability” (Siriginidi, 2000: 381)

12. Futurism
Maas, Fenema & Souters (2014) “ERP system usage: the role of control and empowerment” New Technology, Work & Employment 29,1:
“Estimates indicate that around 75 per cent of large organisations have implemented ERP, and firms in the Fortune 500 even show an implementation rate of 80 per cent. Despite the high implementation rates of ERP systems, ERP failures account for over 60 per cent. Losses range from $6 million to well over $100 million, and numerous organisations even going out of business”

13. Futurism
“Futurist OS does not deny that we have some choice in how we use technology, but they make it clear that the only truly rational choice is to embrace it” (Corbett p.6)
downplays negative aspects of technology
promotes assumptions about the best way to live and work; imposes these on other perspectives
assumes perfect fit between intentions of designers, implementers and users
Technological determinist and positive

14. Managerialism

15. Managerialism
Belief in or reliance on the use of professional managers in administering or planning an activity
A framework of values and beliefs about organisations which emphasises:
behaviour oriented to efficiency and economy
market responsiveness
control of employee behaviour in service of these goals by senior and executive managers
(e.g. Becher & Trowler, 2001)

16. Managerialism Five core beliefs of managerialism (Pollitt 1990, p,2-3)
The main route to social progress is continuing increases in economic productivity
These increases will come by applying ever more sophisticated technologies
Their application requires a workforce disciplined in accordance with the productivity ideal
Management is a separate and distinct function crucial to planning, implementing and measuring productivity improvements
To make this possible managers must be granted room to manoeuvre (the ‘right to manage’)

17. Managerialism
Stresses the key role played by management’s strategic choices
“technology has no impact on people or performance in an organisation independent of the purposes of those who would use it and the responses of those who have to operate it” (Jones 1982, p.199)
Social determinist and positive

18. Romanticism

19. Romanticism
A European artistic, literary and intellectual movement originating in the late 18th century
Stressed the importance of nature, emotion and the imagination
Intense emotion as the source of aesthetic experience
apprehension, horror, awe,
‘the sublime’

20. Romanticism Romanticism emphasised:
emotion over reason
intuition over logic
spontaneity
the refined sensitivity of the artist
originality
Associated politically with the French Revolution, but also with nationalism

21. Romanticism OS researchers who adopt this perspective:
emphasise how technology is unnatural and artificial
argue that technology undermines core, natural human values and abilities
emphasise how technology compromises human autonomy

22. Romanticism
“Technology itself .. without indulgence or possible discussion, selects the means to be employed. The human being is no longer in any sense the agent of choice. He is a device for recording effects and results obtained by various techniques. He does not make a choice of complex and, in some ways, human motives. He can decide only in favour of the technique that gives maximum efficiency. But this is not a choice” (Ellul 1964: 84)
Technological determinist and negative