Advanced manufacturing technology and shopfloor work organisation

Recent developments in microelectronics have brought a new type of technology on to the factory floor, in the form of programmable automation. This not only has important implications for the nature of shopfloor work, but evidence also suggests that realisation of the potential of such advanced manufacturing technology critically depends on work organisation and psychological factors. The nature and growth of this new manufacturing technology is described, and a brief overview is provided of the literature on its deskilling implications. This is followed by an account of some recent research on attitudes towards advanced manufacturing technology, its effects on work demands and operator well-being, and the way in which alternative forms of work organisation affect productivity.