Full bibliography

Evidence on the relationship between technical innovation and nonmanual skills and work organization in the UK is drawn from 5 case studies covering a range of production and service environments and workplace size. In each case study, 3 months of intensive research was conducted between April 1983 and November 1986. Return visits were made 2 years after the detailed research to assess changes in the workplace. In none of the cases could the introduction of new technologies simply equate technical innovation with deskilling and enhanced managerial control. There was a tendency for overall skill polarization to occur rather than straightforward deskilling. It was found that technological change has been more favorable for technical than for clerical occupational groups. In telecommunications and metals research, the introduction of new technology led to a concentration of skills for technical workers that were primarily computer-related. The most important change in maintenance technicians' work was in the way that faults were diagnosed and repaired.