Technology

Dr. Joe O’Mahoney 2007

Questions: 07906133649

Agenda

1. What is Technology?

2. The Magic Bullet Theory (Determinism)

3. The Failure of the Bullet

4. Other Stories

- Social Determinism

- Marxist Approaches

- Social Construction

The Agenda

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1. Technolgy: a way of doing something

- Achitecture, Facebook, Recipes, Printers

- Constrains and enables

2. Organisational Implementations

- No ‘neutral’ effects

- Disrupts power relations

- Unintended consequences

What is Technology?

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The Magic Bullet

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• Planned

• Rational

• Good

•Determinist

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The Battle of Tours, A.D. 732

Saracens vs. Germans

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The Stirrup

Triumph of Technology

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Philosophy of Determinism

• Technology strategy as rational and planned

• Clear investment decision

• Technology determines outcomes

• Doesn’t account for social ‘translation’

• Doesn’t account for structural context

• Preece, 1999; McLoughlin and Harris 1997

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Rational, planned, strategic…..

Source: Preece, D.A. Organisations and Technical Change: Strategy, Objectives and Involvement, Routledge/ITBP (1995), p.7.

The Failure of Rational Views?

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Failure of Magic Bullets

• Failures– 25% projects don’t meet requirements – 31% projects cancelled – 53% over-run on costs– 80% don’t meet objectives– NHS // 3G // Passport Service // Boo.com

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Utility of the ‘Rational’

“The telephone has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communications. The device has no value.” Western Union 1876

“I see no reason to suppose that these machines will ever force themselves into general use." Duke of Wellington (1852) Referring to steam locomotives.

“There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” Ken Olsen, President of DCE, 1977

“I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.”Thomas Watson, Chairman of IBM, 1943

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Bigger failures?

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Different Views?

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A. Social Determinism?

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Social determinism?

• SRBs

• Trains

• Chariots

• The Horse’s Arse

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Racist Architecture?

• Robert Moses

• Low bridges

• Social exclusion

Winner, L. ‘Do Artefacts Have Politics?’ Daedelus 109 (1980)

Social Shaping of Technology (SST)

• Reflecting and affecting society

• Technology as a political tool

• Historical and material contraints

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B. Marxist

Control & Deskilling in Ford

• Skilled workers have more power, so….

• Simplification of tasks

• Automation of tasks

= Redundant, deskilled, weak workerforce

e.g. McDonaldization (Ritzer)

But… little evidence (Nelson, D.1992 ‘Scientific management

in retrospect’ in A mental revolution: Scientific management since Taylor)

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Surveillence & Invisible Control

• The panopticon

• You never know when you’re being watched

• Self-disciplining

• Prisons, asylums, car plants, the internet

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Technology as Capitalist Control

• Use by those managers to control & re-present workers

• Managerial rhetoric of ‘modern’, ‘flexible’, “hi-tech”

• Fit with capitalist consumerism of new things…..

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C. Social Constructivism

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A Matter of Interpretation?

• US hi-tech weapons

• Hi-jacked with knives

• Boeing 767 became a missile

• Technology as a social product

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Bikes….

• To Men

• To Women

• To Manufacturers

Bijker, W. (1995): Of Bicycles, Bakelites, and Bulbs

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• A range of options championed by different groups

• Concerns are cultural, moral and political, not just technical

• Change occurs through power struggles / consensus

Social Constructivism

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Conclusions

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Sociological

• Social Determinist– Technology reflecting society– Material and social constraints to new ideas

• Marxist– Sees technology as ‘deskilling’ workers (Braverman, 1974)

– Technology for surveillance & control (Sewell, 1998)

• Social Constructivist– Different groups seeing technology differently (Zuboff, 1988)

– Human aspects ignored (Walton & McKersie, 1991)

– Domination of technologists (Bailey, 1993; Preece, 1999)

Case

Questions: 07906133649

Case Questions

• What are the costs and benefits of the introduction of the snowmobile for the Lapplanders?

• Could the introduction of new technology have been better managed? How?

• What different perspectives can be applied to help understand the effects of this technology?