Technology and the transformation of work

This article argues that traditional analyses of the impact of technology, as well as more recent explorations of the role of social agency in shaping technology, are not necessarily in competition. They both address enduring and important issues in the study of technology and the transformation of work. Yet despite their value and ongoing relevance, the stronger versions of these approaches remain restricted to a one-dimensional approach to workplace transformation. The softer versions of both approaches take up a more complex two-dimensional standpoint, recognizing the mutual influence of the technical and the social. However, in order to further advance the understanding of technology and the transformation of work, these two-dimensional views need to be integrated with those exploring a third dimension, which is explained in this article. This article shows that the themes addressed are implicit in a number of more traditional analyses of technology and the transformation of work.