The New Ruthless Economy: Work and Power in the Digital Age
This is a provocative call for the rehumanization of business and society, revolting against the impact of reengineering and massive information technology systems. Journalist Head rationally gathers the evidence and presents the case against mass production: from 1990 to 2003, inflation-adjusted wages and benefits of American workers stagnated, rising less than 1 percent yearly on average. It all started, Head claims, with Frederick Taylor'sPrinciples of Scientific Management(1911), which advocated use of engineering methods to improve productivity. Change continued with Michael Hammer's promotion of streamlining the way service industries (e.g., call centers and modern medicine) do business, accompanied by the installation of huge enterprise resource planning systems. The results? Poor to nonexistent, as the doctor-patient consultation relationship fades, as supervisors micromanage every minute of employees' work, and as once-valued workplace skills and specialties are lost. A dramatic presentation that, unfortunately, includes few specific recommendations for change.Barbara JacobsCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.