The Introduction of Information and Office Technologies: The Great Divide?'

Anne Fearfull
Additional contact information
Anne Fearfull: Manchester School of Management

Work, Employment & Society, 1992, vol. 6, issue 3, 423-442

Abstract: Using four case studies, the paper considers the effect of office technologies on clerical skill. This familiar theme is widened by asking to what extent resultant employment practices, e.g., staff rationalization, demise of the `office junior' system, etc., have contributed to the appearance that less skill, experience and training are now required in clerical work; and by questioning the accuracy of that impression. The issues of reducing job opportunities, changing work values and attempts at `corrective' measures through training initiatives are addressed. It is argued that these inter-related developments have created a `divide', between clerks experienced in pre-or partially-computerized systems and those with only post-computerization experience. The role played by clerical sector research in perpetuating the image of clerical work as low-status, low-skill, is considered. The current and potential implications for the effectiveness of the clerical function and, as a consequence, for employing organizations are discussed.

Date: 1992
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/095001709263006 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:woemps:v:6:y:1992:i:3:p:423-442

DOI: 10.1177/095001709263006

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Work, Employment & Society from British Sociological Association
Bibliographic data for series maintained by SAGE Publications ().