Computer-Aided Design, Work Organization, and the Integrated Factory

Models of the factory of the future have frequently been employed by job design researchers to understand the sociotechnical consequences of advanced manufacturing technologies. This paper outlines a common job design model of the integrated factory and assesses the extent to which international experiences in computer-aided design (CAD) use conform to the model. With particular focus on recent experiences in Australia, it is argued that the variety of types and uses of CAD undermine any simple unilinear theory of necessary or appropriate work organization for CAD. It is concluded, however, that the recent work on the design of “human-centered” manufacturing systems provides an important opportunity for reassessing the most desirable direction for the future of CAD development and use.