Review of Windows on the Workplace: Technology, Jobs, and the Organization of Office Work (Paperback)

It is always a pleasure to come across a book through the Amazon search that I'd never find wandering through a book store!

I began my work career in the early 70's as a typist/transcriptionist at the age of eighteen; I progressed in the 70's to an office manager, putting myself through college before entering the health care field.I have always remained interested in the nature of office work, as it provided both enjoyment and a good living for me.

This book documents the rise of the computer in companies, as the author is a former programmer from the 60's into the 80's, along with an aducation in economics.Her focus is, to a large extent, on the change in those who programmed and ran the earlier generations of computers.These were 'status' jobs requiring considerable intuitive as well as academic skills.However, over time, these careers were either downgraded or eliminated entirely through outsourcing.Simultaneously, the nature of the average office changed radically from the ones in which I worked 30 years ago to the fragmented, multitasking cubicles of today.My ability to type 150 wpm got me into the work, when we were on Selectrics and using carbon paper.In fact, by the time I left the field I had 75 transcriptionists working under me.All these jobs would basically be gone today, replaced by voice-actuated computer programs, or electronically outsourced.Concurrent with the elimination of the average office (and certainly typing/word processing pools) has come the elimination of virtually all office positions above the receptionist.Executives and managers now are expected to do most of their own text generation themselves.

There were a few factual errors:the author speaks about the Vydec and the Wang in the 70's being the first dedicated word processors, where those of us who did this work know the IBM MT/ST, introduced in 1964, preceded those by years.These dinosaurs of text work are long since gone, and it's a shame younger generations won't have examples to see other than in grainy photos.

Part of the value of book is the ability to see parallels in other types of work that have declined in this country, often to outsourcing.The author speaks of the enormous number of bank tellers gone since the development of the ATM in the 1980's.Now, the banks are working very, very hard to eliminate branch banks entirely and force customers to bank on-line.

This is a very 'readable' work on what might sound boring on the casual look.With the author's personal contributions and some excellent photos included, it is interesting, well-organized, and beautifully presented.I found this book accidentally on a search and have been so glad I did.A great read!

Product Description

"A valuable contribution to public policy debates concerning the workplace of the future and the nature and implications of the 'information economy.'"
-Choice (of the first edition)

In this eye-opening book, Joan Greenbaum tells the story of changes in management policies, work organization, and the design of office information systems from the 1950s to the present. She describes the impact of new technologies on the organization of working life with a keen awareness of the social forces that seek to benefit from them, showing how the process is driven by the needs of capitalist profit and control over the workforce rather than the good of society or greater efficiency.

Windows on the Workplace takes as its starting-point the experience of office workers and their own accounts of it. The book includes interviews with a wide range of workers, including young people entering a workplace in which the expectation of stable, long-term employment has all but disappeared. Greenbaum's approach is to locate their experiences and expectations within broader social and economic patterns, and to show how these patterns are constantly changing.

In a field that is constantly changing, this book captures the moment and clarifies the direction in which it is moving. It exposes the myth that technological advance and free market economics are creating a better future for all, and reveals the reality behind the myth.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Windows on the Workplace: Technology, Jobs, and the Organization of Office Work (Paperback)