Synopsis
Employment and Technical Change in Europe provides a review of current knowledge about the complex relationships between work and information technology. The authors steer a middle course between approaches which are technologically determinist and those which reject the importance of information technology as one of the most important shaping factors on working life. Detailed studies of the diffusion of information technology in Europe and the development of relevant work skills are combined with assessments of its effect on industrial relations and the quality of working life. A key objective of this volume is to determine the best practice for implementation of new technology in organizations across Europe. New information technologies are a vital component of the future of competitiveness in Europe. This policy-oriented book seeks to contribute to the reinvigoration of the work and technology debate along lines which have a practical application. It will be welcomed by students and teachers of industrial relations, industrial economists and all those concerned with the implementation of information technology strategies in the work place.