Title: Technology and the Change in Job Design
Topic: Impact of Technology on Job Design
Specific Purpose: Explaining to the reader how technology has impacted Job Design
Thesis Statement: With the advent of new technologies, the way that jobs have been designed
has been significantly changed in the 21st century.
Abstract:
This paper will introduce the fact that while there has been an ongoing trend for job design to
evolve within its chosen industry, the introduction of technology, particularly since the turn of
the century, has sped up that evolution. With the ever-changing job design, many jobs have
become obsolete, while other jobs are now being created.
Introduction:
Technology and the changes that it brings about have been the primary drivers as it relates to the
change in job design. No matter what industry that might be discussed, bringing in new levels of
technology requires a management team to reimagine how work is completed. During the
process of reassessing how jobs are handled, it is important for management to fully embrace the
technologies that are provided to them. In doing so, management will always be searching to
embrace the technology and how it can bring about cost savings to the organization. Without
these cost savings, there would be no reason to make changes.
Body
A. Since the need for job design has arisen, the changes in technology have shown the need
for continuous change.
a. Prior to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, most jobs were done
individually and therefore did not require multiple people to complete.
b. When large industrial factories began replacing cottage industry, the need for a
larger and specialized workforce became the norm.
c. Employing multiple people became a cost prohibitive venture.
d. Designing jobs to be done more efficiently provided greater profits and ensured
that job design would continue to be investigated for every job.
B. The impact of the advances in technology since the beginning of the 20th century has
drastically altered how jobs are performed.
a. The internet has changed how jobs are done across all industries.
b. Telecommunications advances have shifted job design to allow for work to be
done worldwide by people of all different skill levels.
C. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is going to create a seismic shift across every level of job
design in just about every industry.
a. The replacement of key workers will become commonplace as AI is adapted to
industries globally.
b. The cost savings that AI will produce will far outweigh the need to keep
employees on the payroll.
Conclusion
Summary Statement: Job design is a continuing evolution for all jobs. Technology is the driver
that creates new positions and eliminates obsolete ones. The introduction of Artificial
Intelligence will cause a further lurch forward in job design.
Concluding Remarks: The evolution of job design has always been slowly moving forward. With
the advent of new technologies, particularly since the beginning of the 21st century, that
evolutionary process has been put into fast forward mode. The jobs that seemed to be secure at
the beginning of the century have either changed significantly or have been eliminated entirely.
As new technologies continue to be introduced, no job should be considered safe from change. In
the end, that evolution will benefit stakeholders and employees alike.
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