Transforming work

Abstract

In recent years dramatic changes in the world economy have led companies to restructure themselves in order to compete globally. Debates in the academic community about the changing demand for workplace skills with the globalization of the economy are paralleled in the business literature about what it takes to create a productive business (e.g., [8, 22, 24]). Business goals for such improvements as computer systems, work systems, or learning organizations are heavily influenced by underlying assumptions about how people work and how organizations function. In this article I examine these underlying assumptions and outline their implications for design.