Bravemans Deskilling Theory

Question 1

What is scientific management

Answer 1

Management of workers should follow scientific principles-strict control of workforce and performance of tasks in same way as a piece of machinery

Question 2

What did scientific management make workers become

Answer 2

Extensions of ye machinery they were operating

Question 3

Who first used taylorism

Answer 3

Ford

Question 4

How does the way ford applied taylorism benefit the company

Answer 4

As the car could be released extremely cheap at around half the price of cars at that time as they could still profit off of this as the workers are low paid due to the repetitive and low skilled jobs

Question 5

What did workers lack in fordism?

Answer 5

Skills,knowledge of the production process and control over the speed of work,and were completely removed from decision making

Question 6

What will happen if workers are only performing small and specific tasks in the process of the whole product

Answer 6

They will have low work satisfaction and are more likely to quit as they will have high work satisfaction if they’d we the final product instead if performing teh same repetitive and un meaningful tasks

Question 7

What is the theory of efficiency in mcdonaldisation

Answer 7

Every aspect of the labour process is carefully evaluated so that the production process is as streamlined as possible,and is carried out uniformly (in one way)

Question 8

What is the theory of calculability in mcdonaldisation

Answer 8

Each item in the production process is carefully calculated and quantified

Question 9

What is the theory of predictability in mcdonaldisation

Answer 9

The products,the way the staff treat and talk to customers,and the environment are stable,consistent and predictable,and can be duplicated in all branches across the world

Question 10

What theory is the labour process manifested through

Answer 10

Taylorism/fordism

Question 11

What was mcdonaldisationlater known as

Answer 11

The deskilling thesis

Question 12

What sociological theory does braverman believe in

Answer 12

Marxist

Question 13

Managers cannot trust workers, to work efficiently,so what is it what they minimise the workers control of

Answer 13

They minimise the autonomy of the workers

Question 14

What does braverman criticise

Answer 14

The organisation of work under capitalism for reflecting conflict between the owners of the means of production and the exploited non-owning working class

Question 15

What principles is the work force controlled by

Answer 15

The application of scientific management principles

Question 16

What do scientific management principles lead to

Answer 16

Deskilling and degradation of work

Question 17

What does braverman argues happens in contemporary capitalism

Answer 17

An increasing proportion of jobs in many different sectors are becoming more and more degraded in terms of skill

Question 18

Why are jobs being degraded in terms of skill

Answer 18

Tasks in the labour process are subdivided into simpler parts with a resultant loss of creative capacity and control over the labour process by workers

Question 19

With the growth of digitsk technology what has de skilling extended to

Answer 19

It has extended to even highly skilled,knowledge -based middle class careers

Question 20

What have Frey and Osbourne predicted

Answer 20

Computerisation could make nearly half of these jobs redundant within ten to twenty years

Question 21

What is upskilling

Answer 21

There has been a decline in semi- and unskilled work and in increase in skilled work.

Question 22

What did gallie find little evidence to support?

Answer 22

The deskilling thesis,with many workers saying their work has been upskilled with more qualifications needed and more training necessary

Question 23

What do other Marxists argue deskillinh is a means of

Answer 23

Controlling the labour process and workforce among a variety of methods

Question 24

What does braverman say

Answer 24

5he workforce is controlled through the application of scientific management principles,leading to what he calls the de skilling and degradation of work

An increasing proportion of jobs are becoming more and more degraded in terms of skill

Question 25

What are Akka the principles of a fast food restaurant

Answer 25

Efficiency,calculability,predictability,control

Question 26

What is direct control

Answer 26

Workers given wider degree of discretion /control and is controlled direct by supervisors,is mainly self policing

Question 27

What is technical control

Answer 27

Workers controlled by hierarchy of authority every worker has an immediate superior and has formal rules controlling their job

Question 28

What is beurocratic control

Answer 28

Majority of job is controlled by machinery with workers having small,Simple tasks

Question 29

What is responsible autonomy

Answer 29

Clear supervision of workforce by owners,typically found in small businesses and is not common in large companies

Question 30

What is my evidence and evaluation for par2

Answer 30

H

Question 31

Who identified 4 types of control

Answer 31

Abercrombie

Question 32

elton mayo

Answer 32

human relations theory and control of labour process

Developed by Elton mayo in the 20s

•Mayo led a team of researchers in the Hawthorne plant in Chicago, in an attempt
tad then produe
to find factors affecting productivity of workers

• He found that workers were more productive if they felt valued, less controlled by management, and enjoyed their work

Work was made more rewarding though:

• Job enrichment: giving workers more independence and responsibility for decision-making in their work, and the way they organise it, plus the chance to use their initiative, rather than being closely supervised.

• Job rotation: giving workers a wider variety of jobs to do.

• Job enlargement: including a wider range of tasks and skills within a job.

• Teamwork: where a team is responsible for completing a product, rather than individuals having responsibility for a single, boring task.

Question 33

Friedman

Answer 33

Responsible autonomy
Friedman (1977), although writing from a Marxist perspective like Braverman, is critical of Braverman’s deskilling thesis and his idea that the workforce is controlled through
technology.

Friedman argues that employers can achieve more effective control of the labour process and higher levels of efficiency by involving workers more in their work, rather than by direct control through the application of scientific management approaches. He suggests workers will identify more with a company and their work, and require less direct supervision and control, if management gives them some responsible autonomy, allowing them to use their own initiative in organising their work, with a limited degree of control in the labour process.

Question 34

Piore and Sabel

Answer 34

ty argue that Fordist modes of production are increasingly outdated. While assembly-production and the application of Taylor’s scientific management principles or onaldisafion are effective for producing a very limited range of relatively cheap ucis on a mass scale, consumers have become more demanding, and want more inalised, or customised, specialised and high-quality goods. therefore, now use computer technology and more skilled workers to make uchion more flexible - Piore and Sabel (1984) refer to this as flexible specialisation.