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OCR for page 395
Managing Technological Change:
Responses of Government, Employers,
and Trade Unions in Western Europe
and Canada
FELICITY HENWOOD AND SALLY WYATT
NEW TECHNOLOGY IN THE
CURRENT ECONOMIC CLIMATE
Technological change has always been a major factor in the
uneven development of industries and occupations. It is often sug-
gested that the development of radical new technologies has pro-
vided the impetus for major changes in the pattern of economic
development both within and between countries. The restructur-
ing of industry that accompanies such technological innovation
then leads to significant changes in the level and structure of em-
ployment and in the nature and organization of work. The ways
in which these changes are managed differ between countries ac-
cording to the part played by governments, employers, and work-
ers' organizations. Furthermore, the role of each of these groups
changes over time and is closely related to the overall economic
cI~matc in particular, the level of unemployment.
In the 30 years after World War IT, many Western industrial-
ized countries experienced faster technological change than during
any period since the Industrial Revolution, and yet these changes
were largely managed within a cooperative environment, by mu-
tual agreement between unions and managers. The relative lack
395
OCR for page 395
396
MANAGING TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE
of worker resistance to technological change during this period is,
of course, directly related to the fact that this was also a period of
economic growth and prosperity in most western European coun-
tries. By the mid-1970s, however, economic recession and rising
unemployment had led to the reemergence of debates about the
relationship between technological change and unemployment. It
has been during this last decade or so that there has been, in most
of these countries, a serious challenge to the established framework
for managing technological change.
Clearly, on one level, employers can be seen as having the
prerogative in many of the decisions surrounding technological
change. It is they who make investment decisions and they who
have the final right to hire and fire their employees. The relation-
ship between labor and capital in market-oriented economics has
been described as a "compulsory symbiosis in which the employers
are\ in a fundamentally favorable position" (Markmann, 1985:141~.
There are many examples, however. of government int~r~r~nt.inn
and worker participation in technological decision making that
have resulted in more favorable outcomes for employees. Through
government initiative in establishing more progressive frameworks
for labor-management negotiations around technological change,
many countries are now realizing the benefits of involving workers
in such negotiations. In the next section, we discuss and com-
pare the parameters of government, employer, and trade union
intervention in technological decision making in several western
European countries and Canada. This discussion forms the back-
drop for the discussion in the following sections, which examines,
in some detail, the part played by each of these groups in resolv-
ing conflicts over specific issues related to the introduction of new
technologies, such as job design, changing locations and hours of
work, and education and training.
The overall aim of this paper is to examine these issues with
specific references to women and women's employment. We shall
pay particular attention to the different experiences of women and
men. It is important to examine women and men as distinct groups
when analyzing the relationship between new technology and paid
work and, therefore, when developing policies aimed at alleviating
the problems that are encountered when new technology is intro-
duced into the workplace. Reasons include the following: First,
the labor markets in the countries under consideration are char-
acterized by a high degree of occupational segregation in which
~ , i, ~ ,.
OCR for page 395
FELICITY HEN WOOD AND SALLY WYATT
397
women are concentrated primarily at the lower levels in a few
occupations. Not only does this help to explain women's lower
earnings on average and their relative powerlessness, it also makes
women more (or less) vulnerable to changes in technology. Second,
women's participation and experience in paid work will continue
to be different from men's as long as women continue to bear
major responsibility for household work and child care. (Table 1
presents indicators of women's position in-the labor market for
selected industrialized countries.) Government legislation against
sex discrimination and in favor of equal pay exists in most West-
ern industrialized countries; it is generally recognized, however,
that these measures have not yet achieved equal opportunity in
the workplace nor have they begun to address women's and men's
unequal family roles.
THE MANAGEMENT OF
TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE
The management of technological change takes different forms
in different countries according to the political organization, indus-
trial relations, and cultural environments of the different countries
(Evans, 1983:154~. However, it is possible to point to three main
methods of management which, to a greater or lesser extent, can
be found in most western European countries. Jostein Fjalestad
of the Norwegian Computer Centre has described these meth-
ods as (~) regulation—based on legislation, standards, and rules;
(2) negotiations resulting in technology agreements; and (3) lo-
cal developments which ensure that agreements are relevant to
particular workplaces (Fjalestad, 1981~. Table 2 summarizes the
variety of procedures adopted in different European countries.
Evans (1983:156) has argued that regulation, negotiation, and
local developments should be seen as complementary approaches
to the effective management of technological change:
Laws and standards define minimum requirements. National, sec-
toral and corporate technology agreements establish the procedures
and broad actions to be followed and the mechanisms to resolve
conflicts. They set out the framework to be used in negotiating
acceptable arrangements at local levels. Without genuine local
agreement, however, the other methods will fail to achieve their
.
alms.
We shall discuss briefly the relative importance of each of these
methods for the management of technological change in several
OCR for page 395
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OCR for page 395
402
MANAGING TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE
European countries, in some cases comparing European experi-
ences with those of the United States and Canada.
THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENTS
Most western European governments take the view that em-
ployment will be generated only if and when the "new technology"
industries are established. Thus, a major part of government ac-
tivity in the new technology area is concerned with the promotion
of research and development (R&D) in the fields of microelectron-
ics, telecommunications, and computers and in the strengthening
of links between government, research establishments, ant] indus-
try. There are important differences between countries regarding
the extent and nature of government intervention in such pro-
grams. For example, the French government, unlike the United
Kingdom and West German governments, believes that it is le-
gitimate and necessary for politicians to control industry overtly,
not only to strengthen it in a general way. Over the last few
years, several broad, new programs were launched: for example,
the 3-year program for the promotion of "productique" in France,
the Technological Development Program in Denmark, and the
Alvey program in the United Kingdom (Commission of the Euro-
pea~ Communities, 1984b). In early 1984, a European Economic
Community (EEC) initiative the European Strategic Program
for Research on Information Technologies (ESPRIT) was given
the go-ahead. Like the national programs, the main purpose of
the EEC program is to promote cooperation among enterprises,
research centers, and universities through public subsidies, with a
view to creating or consolidating European industrial potential in
new technology fields such as advanced microelectronics, software
technologies, advanced information processing, office automation,
and computer-integrated manufacture.
The above examples of government initiatives to promote new
technologies illustrate the separation that is so often made by
governments between the growth of new technology industries and
the employment problems that such growth may cause. In many
cases, the priority for governments is the development of the new
technologies. The "ejects of the new technology, such as job
displacement and changing skill requirements, are generally dealt
with "after the facts by separate employment and/or training
policies, usually administered by various government departments.
OCR for page 395
FELICITY HEN WOOD AND SALLY WYATT
403
Governments in some countries, however, are beginning to take a
more interventionist role in attempting to prevent, rather than
simply alleviate, the most adverse ejects of new technologies.
Of course, the relationship between technology and the de-
mand for workers is complex. The industries based on the new
technologies, once established, may or may not generate many
jobs. And job displacement and changing skill requirements can
occur for reasons unrelated to technological change. Uneven eco-
nomic growth, international competition, and shifts in demand
generate employment change as well. Moreover, changes in work
organization, such as subdividing or integrating jobs, occur more
or less continuously, often without the facilitating influence of
specific innovations. Nevertheless, current technological develop-
ments are widely recognized as having enormous potential for both
productivity improvement and work reorganization, with substan-
tial, if not totally known, effects on workers. And, as noted above,
these rapid technical developments have also occurred during a
period of economic difficulty. Interventions by government aimed
at shaping technological change, though important, necessarily do
not address all factors affecting employment.
Legislation to set minimum standards in technological deci-
sion making Is used in several countries in two key areas: health
and safety and Determination." The 1977 Norwegian Work
Environment Act is a good example of government intervention
to ensure that the health and safety of employees is maintained
with the introduction of new technologies. Among its provisions
(quoteclinDeutsch,1986:37)are the following: ~Technology,orga-
nization of the work, working hours and way systems shall be set
up so that the employees are not exposed to undesirable physical
or mental strain and so that their possibilities of displaying caution
and observing safety measures are not impaired." The Act also
extends to encouraging workers' personal and professional devel-
opment, avoiding undiversified and repetitive work, and involving
employees and their elected representatives in planning work and
work changes. Another example of legislation being used to set
minimum standards is the 1976 Swedish Act of Co-determination.
Employers are required by it to inform trade unions about plans
for future developments and to initiate discussions and negotia-
tions on new technology before any changes take place or any final
decisions are made on the nature of the system (Evans, 1983: 157~.
West Germany also has a form of co-determ~nation legislation.
OCR for page 395
404
MANAGING TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE
Under this law, any plant or company of more than five employ-
ees must have a works council composed solely of representatives
of employees. Works councils have found it difficult, however,
to use information disclosed to them because they are outside
the mainstream of collective bargaining, which takes place be-
tween employers' associations and union confederations (Evans,
1983:164~.
THE RoLE OF EMPLoYERs AND TRADE UNIONS
The role of government in influencing the pattern of intro-
duction of new technology in any particular workplace is limited.
The most important negotiations about technological change at
this level take place between the employers or management and
the workers, often, although not always, via the local trade union
branch. During the 1970s, a fairly coherent and comprehensive
approach toward negotiating about technology began to emerge in
several western European countries. The anew technology agree-
ments" or "technology agreements" had the effect of placing on
the agenda of collective bargaining "a range of topics which affect
all aspects of technological and mr~.ni~.nt.imna1 rho
~~ On ~~ ~~- (Evans,
1983:158~. This development has been an important one that has
marked a shift, on the part of organized labor, from what might
be seen as a reactive strategy toward new technology, to a more
proactive one.
The 1975 agreement between national management organiza-
tions and unions in Norway can be seen as the archetypal tech-
nology agreement that influenced discussions and actions around
the world. Evans (1983:158) has described the principle stated in
that agreement as one where The social ejects of new technology
should be regarded with equal importance to economic and techni-
cal considerations. Both procedural and substantive elements are
found in technology agreements. The former is concerned with the
methods of introducing the new technology and the latter with
the operational conditions once the technology is implemented.
A summary of the main clauses to be found in most technology
agreements can be found in Table 3.
In spite of a great deal of discussion among organized workers
concerned with broad issues such as the future of work and the
ways In which different groups of workers are affected by the in-
troduction of new technology, technology agreements on the whole
OCR for page 395
FELICITY HEN WOOD AND SALLY WYATT
TABLE 3 Summary of Main Clauses Found in Technology Agreements
Procedural provisions in technology agreements
A commitment by all parties to encourage the introduction of new
technology and the successful management of change.
The provision by management of full and timely information, in clear
and jargon-free language, about plans for technological change.
To be useful, the information must be provided at an early stage,
before decisions are implemented. The agreement should be
explicit about the likely effects of change and the options
available.
The establishment of joint management/union bodies to discuss,
monitor, and negotiate change at corporate and local levels.
The opportunity for the election and training of "technology
representatives" or "data stewards" with responsibility for
monitoring the introduction of new technology on behalf of staff,
and who keep in close touch with grassroots experience and
. .
Oplnlon.
The arrangements by which unions can have access to outside
expertise, just as management hires external consultants.
The establishment of a procedure for monitoring and regulating the
collection and use of personal data on individuals working in the
organization.
A status quo clause which gives the unions a right to veto changes
unless they have been consulted and an agreement reached.
Substantive issues on technology agreements
Job security following the introduction of new technology. This
could aim to maintain the same number of job posts (total volume
of employment) or, if some reduction in employment is unavoidable,
to offer guarantees of no compulsory redundancy.
The provision of adequate retraining opportunities to staff whose
jobs are changed or eliminated by new technology and the
establishment of guidelines on the maintenance of status and pay
in the new job.
Methods for sharing the benefits of new technology with employees
through, for example, improved pay, shorter working hours, and a
better working environment.
For older staff, the offer of adequate schemes for voluntary early
retirement.
Monitoring of the impact of new technology on the workplace in terms
of issues such as stress, alienation, reduced social contact, or
increased central control and supervision.
Health and safety regulations on aspects of working with computers,
based on independent guidelines encompassing physical, software,
and psychological ergonomics factors.
Protection of the confidentiality of personal information collected
about employees and guaranteeing that such information will be
limited to activities of direct relevance to work at the
organization. Many countries have Data Protection Legislation to
provide the basic guidelines.
SOURCE: Evans (1983:162~.
405
OCR for page 395
422
MANAGING TECHNOl OGICAL CHANGE
that it is more likely to provide a work force with the skills rele-
vant to the employer's needs. Also, the difficulties associated with
fulfilling domestic and child care responsibilities outside of work-
ing hours are not so acute if training is provided on the job, within
regular working hours.
The disadvantages of on-thejob training are that the skills
learned are not always formally recognized and that the unem-
ployed and those outside the labor force are excluded (see below)
The fact that skills learned on the job are not always formally
recognized means that worker mobility is reduced. Both women
and men will be less able to move outside the firm. And women
may also experience difficulty moving within the firm, particularly
where management discriminates against women, either because
they think a secretary only types even if she actually possesses
quite advanced information-technology-related skills, or simply
because they think women should not have nrof~.c:~ir~n=] tar I;_
· · .
paying Jot)S.
i.
rams ~1 111~;11-
The major advantage of formal training is that skills learned
are recognized. The skills needed in office work include knowledge
of routines; knowledge of the firm and branch; ability to inter-
pret questions, combine information, and solve nonroutine cases;
and social skills. Often, only the first of these skills is visible to
management (Lie and Rasmussen, 1984:6~. Not only does formal
training improve worker mobility, it also overcomes some of the
problems typical when workers are insufficiently trained. Clerical
workers who are not aware of all of the capabilities of a piece of
equipment are often dissatisfied. The Danish Union of Commercial
and Clerical Employees, together with some schools of commerce,
has initiated courses in word processing for its members (Thom-
sen, 1984). The disadvantages of formal training are related to
(lack of) time and money.
Ways to combine the advantages of both types of vocational
training include having formal training paid for by industry or the
state and scheduling it within working hours, or introducing some
means of assessing skills gained on the job. The usual objection
raised by employers to paying for formal training is precisely that
it will increase worker mobility: why pay for someone else's work
force? In the long run, however, training for a skilled and flexible
work force will benefit everyone.
OCR for page 395
FELICITY HENWOOD AND SALLY WYATT
423
As noted above, on-thejob training does nothing to meet the
needs of the unemployed. Unemployment, particularly youth un-
employment, is becoming an increasingly serious problem in most
of the countries under consideration. The tremendous increases in
unemployment are partly a result of new technology and partly a
result of the more general economic climate. In most countries,
training for people who are not in paid employment is seen as the
primary responsibility of the government. As Goldstein (1984)
argues, some government schemes have negative elements. In her
view, the New Training Initiative (NTI) of the current British
government is an attack on the conditions of paid work, disguised
as training to meet changing market and technological conditions.
The publicly funded Youth Opportunities Program (YOP)
provided young people with jobs for 6 months during which they
were paid a weekly allowance. Employers received free labor. YOP
workers were heavily concentrated in distributive, retailing, and
administrative jobs; opportunities for learning new skills were few.
In 1981-1982, more school leavers were in YOP than in regular
jobs. Employers have admitted that 30 percent of these repre-
sented abuses of the goals of YOP; they substituted YOP workers
for regular workers (Goldstein, 1984:100~. The chief disadvantage
of YOP, Goldstein t1984} argues, is that they have given credi-
bility to the notion that putting people in the workplace to serve
employers' short-term needs represents training.2 Training need
no longer lead to gaining skills or access to long-term paid employ-
ment. This type of program also undercuts organized labor and
diverts resources away from other types of training. The problems
associated with shortages of skilled labor remain.
Similar programs have been adopted in other countries. In
Belgium, both private and public enterprises with more than 50
employees are required" to recruit between 1 and 2 percent of their
2 The Community Programme scheme designed to help the long-term
unemployed does not even pretend to provide anything but the most broadly
based "introduction to workn-type training. It is mentioned here because
it illustrates the government's attitude to women's right to paid work. The
scheme authorizes local authorities to hire the long-term unemployed to work
on projects for 4 days a week for the benefit of the community. Those eligible
include people over the age of 25 who have been unemployed for more than
~ and, ~~ ~~~ ~9°~.Q~:\ ~~ ^ wage moor not exceed an average of £63
(1985 figure) per week. Since 1983, women who are living as married with
a man in paid work are not eligible for these schemes, since they are not
officially recognized as unemployed.
~ Am ~ l_~Incr.~1n to—tow l. ~ ~~ ~~ ~
OCR for page 395
424
MANAGING TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE
work force from people under 30 years of age with no previous work
experience for a maximum period of 1 year. Not only are employers
required to pay only 90 percent of the agreed wage rate, they also
receive a grant from the government for each trainee, above the
minimum ~ percent (Commission of the F,`~r~n-nn C!~:~:^~
1984a:90~.
_ ~ ~ . . _ ^.
~ ~_~^ ~vAAAl1AL~l~l~l~ ~
Some more positive training schemes aimed at unemployed
women have been developed. The Ministry of Education in Den-
mark, together with the equality of opportunity consultants, has
initiated the formation of a number of "data centers" for women
who would not otherwise receive any training (Thomsen, 1984~.
Other schemes have begun in various cities in the United Kingdom.
They involve women teaching other women nontraditional skills,
often programming and electronic engineering but also carpentry
and plumbing. The schemes are supported by the local councils
and the European Social Fund. They all include the following: a
creche, or child care allowances; a training allowance; a schedule
to coincide with school hours; and assertiveness training. Women
over 25 with no formal qualifications are given priority. Links
with local employers are more established in some schemes than in
others (informal discussion with E. Cousins. Women's T~.hn~l^tr~r
Scheme, Liverpool).
These schema. Are ~ ~~ ~___1~ _~ Lit
__,, ~ I A ~ ~ ~ t~ "
~ )
can be taken into account.
~~ ·t 1 d
_ I_ ~~ ~1 slow wc~men-s neeas
Courses offered in the evenings ark
~Jll`Oll ~II~I.r-r-~RlOlC. T^ - a_ ...: lL _L.1~ -_ ~
~~- AVA V~V11~l Well wren, and company training
is sometimes only provided to full-time workers, while women are
more likely to work part time. Gaining Open to aid is insufficient
if it is not recognized that women face restrir.~.inn~ an she;- ^1~:~:~..
to participate.
_ ~^ U440~1 O,~111~~
,
A study done for the Women's Bureau of Labour Canada
(1982) surveyed different groups of women regarding their atti-
tudes to technology and training. They found that women who
were not in the labor force were the group most afraid of tech-
nology and that they would prefer fulI-time training during the
day. Women in the labor force, but not in technology-related jobs,
preferred some form of apprenticeship. Lack of confidence, time
and money, fatigue, and stress were the difficulties cited in relation
to out-of-hours training. They felt it was the employers' respon-
sibility to train them. Women using word processors had usually
been trained either by their employer or by the equipment sup-
plier.6 The latter is usually a marketing exercise; women receiving
OCR for page 395
FELICITY HEN WOOD AND SALLY WYATT
425
such training thought it was not always adequate. Women work-
ing in electronic assembly received informal, on-thejob training.
Their employers sometimes offered to pay for night-school courses,
but the women felt night school would be too much, in addition
to the* existing work and domestic responsibilities. Women in
both arts and science subjects in postsecondary education were
aware that they would probably work with technology in some
form; however, science students were more confident about their
job prospects (Women's Bureau, Labour Canada, 1982:27-33~.
Many training initiatives aim to develop specific industrial
skills. Given the rapid change that characterizes industrial econo-
mies, it may be more appropriate for training and retraining to be
aimed at developing broader skills, such as basic scientific under-
standing, computer literacy, logical thinking, and communications
skills. Training focused in this direction would enhance worker
mobility, whereas training in specific skills increases the danger of
creating the job ghettos of the future (Canadian Advisory Council
on the Status of Women, 1982; Dirrheimer, 1983~.
Training and educational initiatives need to be taken at many
different levels in order to widen the opportunities provided by
new technology to as many people as possible. The aim of any
training or educational initiative must be to increase workers'
mobility and their ability to participate in technological decision
making. Governments and employers have a responsibility to at
least contribute to the cost of training, especially because they
benefit from having access to a skilled work force. Also, it is
important to remember that not all workers are starting from
the same point in terms of training and education; therefore, for
women and other disadvantaged groups, some positive action is
necessary.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
Today, the industrialized countries of the world and many of
the newly industrializing countries are experiencing major changes
in employment and work patterns as the rapid diffusion of the cur-
rent "new technologies, based on microelectronics, is transform-
ing the industrial structure of their economies. Both government
intervention and negotiations between employers and trade unions
concerning the introduction of new technologies are becoming in-
creasingly widespread. Employers attempting to maintain profit
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426
MANAGING TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE
levels in increasingly competitive market situations can do so in
various ways; technological change is only one of the options avail-
able, but productivity-enhancin~ labor .c:~.vin ~ t.P~hnnl^=i-e are mr'
obvious toot to employ.
We have noted that the unequal distribution of power between
social groups means that some groups have more influence over
technological decision making than others. The roles played by
governments, employers, and trade unions in this process differ
from country to country. We have noted that women and men
often have different priorities and choose different strategies
TO 1;~ _ I ~
~ ~0 ~——^~,40~ ~4.L ~ ~ C~11
Ill ~1~ European countries, governments have a crucial, if
limited' roles mainly through tier' ~rn~ri~innQ nJ; 1=O-;Q1~;~ ~1~:~1-
~ ~ ~^ 4~C^UlVll~ ~ 111~11
sets minimum standards to which employers must adhere. Most
negotiations about the introduction of specific technologies take
place between employers and trn.rl`> 1lDinn~;: =o n-~;~;~r~= ^
job design illustrate.
~ ~ ~ ^~~VUAC~UlVllO ~1 ~JU11~1
To negotiate around job design is, we argued, to reject the
notion of technological determinism. It accepts that technology,
as such, does not determine how jobs are defined, how the work
should be done, and how the person doing the job relates (or does
not relate) to other people in the workplace. The imoc~rtanr.~ of
discussions of job design is the recognition that the organization
of jobs and the use of machinery and equipment in those jobs
is the result of political struggle and decision making, involving
groups of people with different amounts of power to influence
those decisions. Such discussions also move the focus away from
the important, yet narrow, question of ergonomics, to the broader,
more fundamental questions of quality of work.
Important differences between countries concern the extent
to which employees are able to effect change; these differences
depend, in large part, on the different traditions of worker partici-
pation and on the relationship between employers and workers. In
Denmark and Norway, for example, there is a much stronger tradi-
tion of worker participation than in either the United States or the
United Kingdom. There is also a much higher rate of unionization
in these countries (see Table 1~. It is not surprising, therefore,
that some of the most progressive examples of workers securing a
degree of control over decisions surrounding new technology are
found in these countries.
Women's position in the labor market and in the occupational
hierarchy gives them less access to decision-making structures (via
~ ~ _ ~
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FELICITY HENWOOD AND SALLY WYATT
427
the trade unions) than men. But their position has both positive
and negative aspects. In particular, we have argued that women's
relationship to work, both paid and unpaid, has led them in many
cases to have different priorities from many male trade unionists.
Many of women's priorities have proved particularly relevant in
discussions of the quality of work and have since been taken up
more widely by the trade unions.
Our discussion of changing locations and changing hours of
work showed that there currently exists the potential for radical so-
cial change. The pervasiveness of the new technologies has opened
a debate about the role of work in advanced industrial societies.
Gender relations could both affect and be affected by changes in
the role of work. The various proposals should be evaluated in
terms of their benefit to individual workers, and not merely their
effect on reducing unemployment levels; furthermore, discussions
of, and choices about, the relative merits of the different schemes
must take into account the existing differences between women
and men in their relation to work, especially unpaid work. By rec-
ognizing women's and men's different starting points, strategies
and policies could, if the political will existed, set out to redress
existing imbalances, resulting in a genuine redistribution of all
forms of work (paid and unpaid) that would enable both women
and men to achieve greater work fulfillment.
In our discussion of the role of governments, employers, and
trade unions in providing education and training, we argued that
education and training should aim to increase the availability to
individual workers of opportunities for satisfying work and should
not merely aim to reduce unemployment in the short term. Fur-
ther, it is not enough to provide training for all; efforts must be
made to identify factors that prevent certain groups from taking
advantage of such opportunities. The difficulties women face in
taking part in education and training programs are well docu-
mented. In addition to providing the necessary support services
(such as child care) that will enable more women to participate in
training schemes, trainers and educators must take into account
the very different relationships girls and boys, women and men
have to technology, and structure their training programs in such
a way as to best overcome pant discrimination and socialization in
this area.
The formulation of strategies and policies aimed at dealing
with the issues raised in this paper should start by identifying
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428
MANAGING TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE
existing differences and inequalities between groups of workers.
We have been concerned here with gender inequality but there are
many others age, race, and skill all divide workers and sometimes
lead to conflicts of interest. Until these differences are recognized
and a commitment is made to overcome resulting inequalities, it
will be impossible for employees to make the best of opportunities
that now exist for their participation in decision making regarding
technological change. This commitment must be demonstrated at
all levels, by governments, employers, and trade unions.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We would like to thank the following people who sent us ma-
terial: Isa Bakker, Paula Bennett, Patricia Blackstaffe, Fernande
Faulkner, Iris Fitzpatrick-Martin, Michael Gurstein, Michael Mc-
Bane, Kathryn McMullen, Marylee Stephenson, and Jane Stinson
from Canada; gannet Gr0nfel~t, Janni Nielsen, and Karen sj0rup
from Denmark; Andreas Drinkuth, Sabine Gensior, Camilla
Grebsbach-Gnath, Werner Kleges, Heinz Murer, Barbel Scholer,
and Suzanne Seeland from the Federal Republic of Germany; Liisa
Rant alaiho from Finland; Marie-Therse Letablier, Yvette Lucas,
Elsbeth Monod, Martina Ni ChealIaigh, and Claire TerIon from
France; Bente Rasmussen and Karl Thoresen from Norway; and
Boe! Berner, Lars Ingelstram, Karin Ohtt, Lesley Palmer, Inga
Persson-Tanimura, and Ulla Weigelt from Sweden. We are also
grateful to Heidi Hartmann and members of the Panel on Technol-
ogy and Women's Employment for their comments on an earlier
draft. Their help greatly facilitated our task. Responsibility for
errors of interpretation or of fact remain, of course, our own.
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434
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES
coordinator in a community women's health clinic. She has con-
ducted research on women's education, gender segregation in the
labor market (with Myra Strober), and women's participation in
high technology. She is currently researching the development of
stratification by gender in technical occupations. Arnold has a
B.A. from Srn~th College, an M.A. in women's studies from San
Francisco State University, and an M.S. in statistics from Stanford
University.
BARBARA BARAN is a postgraduate research fellow at the
Berkeley Roundtable on Internal Economy (BRIE) currently work-
ing on a study to examine work reorganization and skill change
in manufacturing and service industries for the Carnegie Forum
on Education and the Economy. Her research has focused on the
technological transformation of white-colIar work, with particu-
lar emphasis on changes occurring in the structure of women's
employment, and included a study of technological change in the
insurance industry. Prior to returning to school, she served as a
chairperson of the San Francisco Women's Union and was editor
of a community newspaper in San Francisco. She has a B.A. in
history from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and an M.A.
and a Ph.D. in city and regional planning from the University of
California, Berkeley.
BRYNA SHORE F RASER is a senior program officer at the Na-
tional Institute for Work and Learning in Washington, D.C. She is
the editor of the Postsecondary Education for a Changing Econ-
omy series and the director of the National Study of Employment
in the Fast Food Industry. She has done extensive research on
employment-related education and training for youth and adults.
Her most recent publications have focused on the impact of com-
puters and new technologies on training and the workplace. Fraser
has a B.A. from Brandeis University and an M.A. in Slavic lan-
guages from Indiana University.
ELI GINZBERG is A. Barton Hepburn professor emeritus of
economics and director of Conservation of Human Resources,
Columbia University. From 1941 to 1981 he served as a consul-
tant to various departments of the federal government, including
State, Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Gen-
eral Accounting Office. He is the author of 100 books, primarily
on human resources and health policy, the most recent of which
is Understanding Human Resources (Abt, 1985~. Ginzberg has an