Alienation and The Labour Process Flashcards
What were 4 problems with Fords workforce?
- There was absenteeism, high turnover and conflict between managers and workers as they didn’t feel valued as they were easily replaceable. 2. Workers lacked motivation and commitment to their work as they had so little autonomy over it. 3. Workers were often insufficiently trained as they couldn’t enjoy their work. 4. Workers were only trained in very narrow tasks so could not resolve problems if things went wrong.
What’s alienation?
The condition whereby workers lack power and control at work and have no job satisfaction/fulfillment. Work is meaningless apart from as a means of earning money.
What’s an extrinsic/instrumental attitude?
The most important part of a job is high wages.
What’s an intrinsic attitude?
Other factors are more important than money such as enjoyment/passion.
What did Blauner identify?
Four aspects to alienation: 1. Powerlessness. 2. Meaninglessness. 3. Isolation. 4. Self estrangement. This alienation was influenced by the technology involved in work and the amount of control it gave workers, this is called technological determinism.
What’s powerlessness?
Workers having no control over descions made.
What’s meaninglessness?
Work is seen as pointless, only making up one part of the finished product.
What’s isolation?
Friendships are hard to form and workers feel like cogs in a machine.
What’s self estrangement?
Workers feel as if their full potential is not being fulfilled with no creativity or self expression.
What type of workers wpuld have higher levels of job satisfaction?
Craft workers as they have a connection their products.
What did Blauner say about mechanisastion?
He looked at mechanisastion in the textiles industry and said it lead to alienation as workers had little control, freedom or descion making in their work as the labour process was routine and repetitive.
What did Blauner say about assembly line production?
He said it lead to alienation, looking at the car industry where workers lacked control over their work.
What did Blauner say about automation?
Looking at the chemical industry where technology has removed some of the boring aspects of work. Workers have responsibility over running the complex machinery. where they work in groups. This leads to workers having a sense of meaning and finding more enjoyment within their work.
Why would Marxists critise Blauner?
He puts too much emphasis on technology as the cause of alienation when in reality it is the result of the corrupt capitalist system.
Why might people involved in automation still experience alienation?
They aren’t tied to a specific product.
