New technologies and work

The result of an international compara tive project, the studies in this book are a valuable contribution to the develop ment of a non-technological approach in the study of technology and work. Based on co-operative research by teams from different East and West European countries, the studies compare the introduction and implementation of new technology at work in similar enter prises throughout Europe, both East and West. The contributors share the basic assumption that the impact of tech nology varies greatly according to the characteristics of the country and its socioeconomic system. They view changes in work as the result of the complex combinations and interactions of such conditions and technology, rather than of technology per se, and their focus, therefore, is on the mechanisms and processes which come into play when new technology is being introduced.

The book's international scope makes it a rich empirical source of comparative material, which will raise many ques tions about the validity of some popular theories about technology and work.