The sociological perspective on the knowledge-based society: assumptions, facts and visions

The paper will present the central discourse of the knowledge-based society. Already in the 1960s the debate of the industrial society already raised the question whether there can be considered a paradigm shift towards a knowledge-based society. Some prominent authors already foreseen ‘knowledge’ as the main indicator in order to displace ‘labour’ and ‘capital’ as the main driving forces of the capitalistic development. Today on the political level and also in many scientific disciplines the assumption that we are already living in a knowledge-based society seems obvious. Although we still do not have a theory of the knowledge-based society and there still exist a methodological gap about the empirical indicators, the vision of a knowledge-based society determines at least the perception of the Western societies. In a first step the author will pinpoint the assumptions about the knowledge-based society on three levels: on the societal, on the organisational and on the individual level. These assumptions are relied on the following topics: a) The role of the information and communication technologies; b) The dynamic development of globalisation as an ‘evolutionary’ process; c) The increasing importance of knowledge management within organisations; d) The changing role of the state within the economic processes. Not only the differentiation between the levels but also the revision of the assumptions of a knowledge-based society will show that the ‘topics raised in the debates’ cannot be considered as the results of a profound societal paradigm shift. However what seems very impressive is the normative and virtual shift towards a concept of modernity, which strongly focuses on the role of technology as a driving force as well as on the global economic markets, which has to be accepted. Therefore – according to the official debate - the successful adaptation of these processes seems the only way to meet the knowledge-based society. Analysing the societal changes on the three levels, the label ‘knowledge-based society’ can be seen critically. Therefore the main question of Theodor W. Adorno during the 16th Congress of Sociology in 1968 did not loose its actuality. Facing the societal changes he asked whether we are still living in the industrial society or already in a post-industrial state. Thinking about the knowledge-based society according to these two options, this exercise would enrich the whole debate in terms of social inequality, political, economic exclusion processes and at least the power relationship between social groups.knowledge-based society; ICT; knowledge management; technology

The impact of global forces on the individual: empirical evidence from the German clothing industry

Starting from theoretical perspectives on globalisation, the following article analyses how current working conditions are affected by globalisation processes. For this purpose, recent developments in the German clothing sector are traced back to the power of economic globalisation processes. Characterising the German clothing sector as pioneer in economic globalisation, we use empirical findings to illustrate how current processes of globalisation influence the work place: At organisational level, corporate strategies aim at rationalisation, standardisation and flexibilisation of work in order to response to the economic pressure of global markets. At individual level these strategies, in turn, speed up working processes and intensify working processes for the employees. Although these developments form strong trends, we conclude that the local embeddedness of companies is still of high importance with regard to organisational and individual consequences of globalisation

Human-centered approaches in working environments needs ethical reflection—Experiences from KARL = Die Gestaltung von menschzentrierten Ansätzen in sozio-technischen Arbeitsumgebungen benötigt ethische Reflexion – Erfahrungen von KARL

In our paper, we discuss some insights from our work in the regional Centre of Competence of Artificial Intelligence (KARL), which deals with the implementation and application of Artificial Intelligence in working and learning environments. We present a conceptual framework that we have developed to define social, legal and ethical dimensions of AI in working environments. As a first step, the article describes the definition of these aspects within the technical development processes in KARL with an emphasis on ethical issues. Furthermore, a practical example is used to illustrate how normative premises can be elaborated to inform the design process of AI-systems. Next, the process of development and implementation of AI-systems in working environments is taken into account. The article explicitly emphasises the importance of ethical reflection, i.e. on norms such as fairness, social sustainability and the creation of meaningful work, to inform in human-centered approaches to AI-based work. Practical Relevance: This paper discusses a process-oriented, human-centred approach to AI-based work. The joint negotiation and definition of “human-centred work with AI” in each specific context with all concerned stakeholders lies at its heart. The concretisation of these implications is of great importance for the practical implementation of the overarching concept, as it is only in practice that it becomes clear whether and how a participatory design approach is successful, which areas of tension and problems arise and how these can be dealt with

New Work und die Zukunft der Arbeit

Versteht man New Work als ein Konzept von Arbeits- und Lebensräumen, in denen Menschen die Tätigkeiten verrichten, die sie „wirklich wirklich“ tun wollen, dann ist damit die Aufforderung verbunden, das Konzept der modernen Erwerbsarbeit grundlegend zu hinterfragen

Digitalisiert, effizient & global? Die fortlaufende Technisierung der Erwerbsarbeit

Die Digitalisierung der Industrie, die im Konzept der Industrie 4.0 ihren Niederschlag findet, weist auf eine Entwicklung hin, die mit dem Konzept der „Informatisierung“ eingeführt und weiterentwickelt wurde. Die Einführung informationstechnologischer Innovationen wurde in benachbarten Sektoren und Branchen, aber auch in der Industrie intensiv wissenschaftlich beforscht und rezipiert. Dennoch konnte im Hinblick auf das Konzept der Industrie 4.0 ein öffentlich politischer Diskurs lanciert werden, der die weitere Durchdringung und Verknüpfung der Produktion auf der Basis informationsgestützter Technologien als einen bahnbrechenden technischen „Fortschritt“ diskutiert. Hierbei wird – so die These im vorliegenden Artikel – eher die Diskrepanz zwischen den Erwartungen an die potentiellen Möglichkeiten und den konkreten Auswirkungen von Digitalisierungstrends verdeckt. Diese Diskrepanzen werden im Folgenden knapp skizziert, indem in einem ersten Schritt die Grundstrukturen der Digitalisierung dargestellt werden. Am Beispiel der Industrie 4.0 werden in einem zweiten Schritt die Erwartungen an Digitalisierungstrends in Deutschland erörtert, um abschließend Digitalisierungsprozesse in der Erwerbsarbeit einer kritischen Reflexion zu unterziehen

New Manufacturing Environments with Micro- and Nanorobotics

UIDB/04647/2020 UIDP/04647/2020The convergence of nano-, bio-, information, and cognitive sciences and technologies (NBIC) is advancing continuously in many societal spheres. This also applies to the manufacturing sector, where technological transformations in robotics push the boundaries of human–machine interaction (HMI). Here, current technological advances in micro- and nanomanufacturing are accompanied by new socio-economic concepts for different sectors of the process industry. Although these developments are still ongoing, the blurring of the boundaries of HMI in processes at the micro- and nano- level can already be observed. According to the authors, these new socio-technical HMIs may lead to the development of new work environments, which can also have an impact on work organization. While there is still little empirical evidence, the following contribution focuses on the question whether the “manufacturing (or working) life” using enhancement practices pushes the boundaries of HMI and how these effects enable new modes of working in manufacturing. Issues of standardization, acceleration of processes, and order-oriented production become essential for technological innovation in this field. However, these trends tend to lead to a “manufacturing life” in work environments rather than to new modes of work in industry.publishersversionepub_ahead_of_prin