The need for co-operation deepens and expands in the work of different hierarchical groups and between them. In addition, the creation of knowledge, and both the process and product innovations are getting more and more crucial. Also, the deployment of integrated ICT is growing in handling the flows of information in organisations, between them and in their relationships with customers. However, according to our first results, the dominance of men and the subordinate position of women seem to be reproduced at the information intensive work as well. To compare the trajectories of manufacturing and service companies in the light of intensive case studies.
Research methods consist of both a personnel survey and interviews as well as observations of work.
Furthermore, the project applies an interactive approach. Based on the personnel survey, each partner company received an analysis of its own profile on the themes of the research. The project also organised for the companies a joint two days LOM-styled work conference to develop an innovative and grounded understanding of the future work competence. Although there have been some numerical changes over the past couple of decades in occupational gender segregation in Finland, the overall picture has remained very much the same. This study is concerned with the practices and processes in and through which white-collar employees and their superiors produce, reproduce and break the divisions which cause women and men to be slotted into different locations and hierarchies at workplaces.