1. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 5 Professionalism and Personal Skills Lecture 5: NT and Employment

2. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 5 Professionalism and Personal Skills Objectives By the end of this lecture the student should – –Understand NT in perspective –Understand the viewpoints of NT and Employment –Appreciate the main points of the De-Skilling Debate –Appreciate the Industrial Relations implications

3. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 5 Professionalism and Personal Skills Overview There are many debates concerning NT and its impact on the working environment: whether positive or negative It is the aim of this lecture to examine these debates and stimulate responses to them

4. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 5 Professionalism and Personal Skills Introduction NT in perspective Viewpoints of NT and Employment De-Skilling Debate Why Introduce NT? Industrial Relations Implications Trade Union Roles

5. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 5 Professionalism and Personal Skills New Technology and Employment in Perspective CreateDestroy Jobs

6. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 5 Professionalism and Personal Skills Viewpoints of NT and Employment (See Chapter 3 Rowe and Thompson) Optimistic Viewpoint Pessimistic Viewpoint

7. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 5 Professionalism and Personal Skills Impact of Technology on Work Tasks (The De-Skilling Debate) De-Skilling of Work tasks Argument Re-Skilling Argument

8. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 5 Professionalism and Personal Skills Why Introduce New Technology? Changing Patterns of Work Time/Space Considerations

9. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 5 Professionalism and Personal Skills Why Introduce New Technology? Discussion Point –What are the main reasons organisations introduce NT?

10. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 5 Professionalism and Personal Skills Why Introduce New Technology? (cont) Buchanan and Boddy, 3 categorisations – –1 Strategic –2 Operating –3 Control Objectives

11. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 5 Professionalism and Personal Skills Why Introduce New Technology? (cont) Other Studies have broadly confirmed these categorisations McCloughlin & Clark ‘Technological Change at Work’ suggests control is too simplistic a view

12. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 5 Professionalism and Personal Skills Industrial Relations Implications Daniel W.W. (1987) argues Technological Change is a Technical Matter Should involve people Executive level decisions on IT

13. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 5 Professionalism and Personal Skills Trade Union Roles Highest factor against NT and Change Modern TUs are seen to have had a Luddite attitude towards NT Bargaining position of TUs affects outcome Quick to realise implications of NT TUC produced a checklist for NT agreements

14. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 5 Professionalism and Personal Skills Trade Union Roles (cont) TUC urged TUs to negotiate over introduction of NT TUC tried to maintain the ‘Status Quo’ Unions drew up their own responses Most bargaining used old procedures, not new

15. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 5 Professionalism and Personal Skills Trade Union Roles (cont) General Conclusion: “Not Effective” (McCloughlin & Clark, 1998) Why did TU response have so little impact? –Government Change –from Labour to Conservative –TU Membership fell

16. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 5 Professionalism and Personal Skills Trade Union Conclusion Managers in non-unionised companies consult less than in unionised Non-unionised employees seem to just as well as unionised TUs have little influence of course of technological change

17. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 5 Professionalism and Personal Skills Summary NT in perspective Viewpoints of NT and Employment De-Skilling Debate Why Introduce NT (Buchanan and Boddy) Industrial Relations Implications Trade Union Roles

18. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 5 I.T and People Objectives –Understand NT in perspective –Understand the viewpoints of NT and Employment –Appreciate the main points of the De-Skilling Debate –Appreciate the Industrial Relations implications