Years ago, the economy of mass production enabled companies to win by making more and more of the same product at lower and lower unit costs. Employees were cogs in the machine. The standard industrial practice was for workers to 'check their brains at the door' and follow orders. For many years, this worked very well. Technological change, however, has shattered this old system.
Large scale is no longer the only path to low production costs.
Computers and other technology tools enable business to tailor goods and services to meet specific needs of consumers. High value is replacing high volume, and that impacts jobs. More and more, employees are empowered to use their brains, are required to do so, and have to take responsibility for their own work. Let me give a few examples. A secretary today needs to be an information manager, controlling sophisticated hardware and software.