The study of manufacturing workplace organizations from a technology perspective

Abstract

This working paper summarizes mainstream theoretical approaches through which workplace researchers have approached the technological sphere to understand systems of production organization. The increasing absorption of technologies in manufacturing workplaces opens an opportunity to explore new implications and review old ones regarding workplace relations. Therefore, a fresh review of how different technology perspectives are applied to understand systems of production organization, how their concepts are related, and how they observe the meaning of technology is relevant for 21stcentury researchers interested in reviewing the intertwined relationship of technological change and manufacturing organization.