Although there is a lot of debate on the changing nature of work in today’s society, it has been agreed that changes have occurred and will continue to occur in order to match global competition levels as well as create equal opportunities for all. What is most worrying is the impact of this change on work-related classifications, paraphernalia, and studies.
Studies carried out on the nature of work and the existing changes is of relevance to training personnel who are in charge of enlightening the learners on the present needs of the job market by equipping them with the relevant skills depending on their career choices through training sessions and supervised working such as vocational work. The trainers get current information from existing catalogs and professional studies conducted.
Occupational analysis projects on the structures of work, the skills and knowledge needed for effective job performance, and characteristics of the job. When work changes, the conceptions of work and their characteristics become outdated, therefore calls for human resource professionals to engage in counseling, selecting, and training when job descriptions do not compost with the changes in the workplace.
Hundred years ago, the industrial revolution brought workers off their farms due to a change in the dimension of work. It involved a breakthrough in the use of inanimate energy and power and a great deal of investment in industries such as iron, coal, textile, and transport revolution. Fifty years down the line the factory jobs were replaced by jobs in the service sector due to the information revolution which characterized the shift from industrial to postindustrial production.
Years back, a large section of the labor force in the United States was made up of immigrants who had little education and barely knew English. Their work was a routine as set by the management. Today’s information jobs are quite different since what a writer; programmer or businessperson does calls for creativity and imagination as opposed to the kind of work in the past which were quite physical Instead of working using heavy machinery in production more people are using computers and electronic technology in processing information. This has turned the ideal employee into a person with skills such as the ability to understand, synthesize and analyze information.
Back in time people trained in a particular skill for instance a pottery course which could only enable you to be a potter. Today, while there are still potters, the commodity for sale is information and knowledge. Creating a commodity calls for a more generic skill set than being trained in a specific career or industry. The right set of generic skills will enable the learners to do a variety of jobs. This may seem confusing to learners but give a lot of opportunities like never before.
Education has been affected by the computer age and the shift to computers has changed the kind of skills demanded while favoring highly educated workers and disfavoring those with low levels of education. Some jobs like the assembly live auto manufactures work in teams to build a case rather than each employee having a discrete task, low paying jobs today need people with more skills and education than they needed in the past. The resource prosperity has kept some unskilled workers employed but with time they may not be many opportunities for the unskilled.
Technological advancement has brought to question existing protocol in the nature of work done by managers, technical workers as well as junior workers since the described roles and responsibilities are no longer the same. Sharing responsibility for creative problem solving within the available labor makes the organization adapt a flat shape. Conventional bureaucracies are replaced by organizational forms with shorter chains of command.
The organizational structure will be affected by the computerization of work and the replacement of cashier systems with newer technologies. Organizations and workplaces differ and their appropriate work organization technologies differ, choices of how to computerize involves practical judgments about what makes workers more productive while engaging managers’ preferences for control and innovation.
Organizations today permit groups of employees to handle a single task and in the end, evaluate to find out the group with the best outcome. This group is then rewarded as a means of motivation for their creative contribution. This approach is used to minimize the alienation experienced by the employees as was in conventional organizations.
Families in the pre-industrial and industrial times had different members of the family taking on distinct roles. In other cases, the family unit was necessary since work ran through generations. Certain families specialized in specific trades which would be a family trade. This has however changed with the family being a source of identity and reunion but everyone takes care of their economic needs. The earlier family had the father as the sole provider and the mother was staying at home to care for the family.
That situation has changed with women having an almost equal opportunity to contribute to the financial welfare of the family by engaging in work as well as the men. This change has embraced gender equality and given opportunities to all who can perform. The character of people today is that of independence as they are in charge of themselves. Skills are easily transferred thus most people settle for a place where they enjoy a good rapport with the organization and a worthwhile pay
Industrial age organizations had a rigid structure-guided from the top. Organizations with similar ways of operation may accomplish a great deal of work but may not provide a good environment for employees to come up with new ideas or changes experienced in the market. The appropriate model for this information age should be dynamic for it to easily adapt to changes in the global market and embrace new ideas.
The job market today allows employees to change their job or career as they feel without much trouble. Today’s recent graduates can accept to have a number of careers in their life unlike their grandparents or parents who may have had a number of employees in the same career, this is because the shift to service sector jobs don’t require extensive training and therefore it’s not expensive to bring in new employees.
The kind of work environment provided encourages intellectual growth. This growth is secured by setting production goals and objectives which do not limit an employee on how to achieve a task involving their imagination and discovery. This provision ensures creative freedom so long as the end results are good within minimum supervision.
In conclusion, the nature of work today has changed compared to the pre-industrial and industrial times when work was done in hierarchies and was well defined per person. The major cause of change is attributed to the shift in technology as it has been able to redefine the structure and nature of work. It has resulted in the change of training content in learning institutions with an emphasis on information and computer education. The job market has become flexible to embrace new ideas and suit the current market tastes. The employee has become an important asset to organizations than ever before.
Reference
Macionis, J. J. Society: The Basics.10th Edition. 2008.