The introduction of new technology and communication to businesses is forever altering the roles and responsibilities of the white- collar workers. This unique collection from authors in such diverse disciplines as psychology, computer science, sociology, history, communication, and public policy, discusses the ways in which these changes have and are effecting the workplace and the employees while speculating on future changes and effects. Of special significance are the methods suggested for introducing information technology into the workplace. These new methods will increase the quality and quantity of goods and services produced while increasing the quality of working life for employees.

Although there is great debate about how work is changing, there is a clear consensus that changes are fundamental and ongoing. The Changing Nature of Work examines the evidence for change in the world of work. The committee provides a clearly illustrated framework for understanding changes in work and these implications for analyzing the structure of occupations in both the civilian and military sectors. This volume explores the increasing demographic diversity of the workforce, the fluidity of boundaries between lines of work, the interdependent choices for how work is structured-and ultimately, the need for an integrated systematic approach to understanding how work is changing. The book offers a rich array of data and highlighted examples on: Markets, technology, and many other external conditions affecting the nature of work. Research findings on American workers and how they feel about work. Downsizing and the trend toward flatter organizational hierarchies. Autonomy, complexity, and other aspects of work structure. The committee reviews the evolution of occupational analysis and examines the effectiveness of the latest systems in characterizing current and projected changes in civilian and military work. The occupational structure and changing work requirements in the Army are presented as a case study.

Since the industrial revolution, automation has transformed our global economy and the way we work. Early forms of automation took the form of machines meant to replace humans who performed repetitive, manual labor on the assembly line or in agriculture. Blue collar jobs have since been on the edge of obsolescence as automation became more and more advanced. We now live in an information economy world running on advanced computing systems... and we are now in the midst of a new wave of digital automation. 'Digital Labor' is a concept that explains a new set of emerging software-based technologies that automate knowledge work, that is, tasks that involve data analysis and rule-based workflow through the use of computers. Virtual workers have now emerged to perform much of the repetitive work we rely on in the digital sphere, much like their physical robotic counterparts on the manufacturing floor. What makes Digital Labor different? Will my job be impacted by Digital Labor? How can I be position myself to take advantage of the coming changes? The progression of mechanization and robotics automation in a physical sense has progressed mostly on a linear basis and displaced a tremendous amount of blue collar workers. Those workers have pivoted into service sector jobs and other fields. However, since Digital Labor is a software-based innovation, it brings with it new implications at scale. It is progressing at a nonlinear basis and will impact white collar workers just the way blue collar workers were impacted, but it's going to happen exponentially faster. What happens next is not known. But, this book explores how white collar workers, who have been immune to many forms of automation for the past 20-30 years, are in the crosshairs of advanced software and technologies in the digital space.

This companion to Volume I presents individually authored papers covering the history, economics, and sociology of women's work and the computer revolution. Topics include the implications for equal employment opportunity in light of new technologies; a case study of the insurance industry and of women in computer-related occupations; a study of temporary, part-time, and at-home employment; and education and retraining opportunities.