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.industrial society; knowledge-based society; technology; organisations; knowledge management

Hen or Egg? The relationship between IC-technologies and social exclusion

If we take a look at developments on the labour market, we find that the rate of employment stands in a close relationship to the introduction of new technologies and their social and cultural consequences. The immediate effects of new technologies on new forms of work-structures are, in fact, difficult to determine empirically. In order to avoid a strong technological bias in the scientific perspective, it seems important to consider carefully the normative objectives and goals, which are connected with the introduction of IC-technologies. But nevertheless it is difficult to define clearly the causes and the effects of new technologies as well as the technical changes and its social consequences. The intention of the article is to present the concept of social exclusion within the SOWING-project. Of course this concept is embedded in the scientific debate of the Information Society, which has a strong technological focus and represents the discussion of the Western, highly industrialized societies. But nevertheless the empirical findings of the SOWING project come to the general conclusion, that the rise of new forms of social exclusion cannot be considered as the result of the introduction of ICT, but as the result of the normative idea of a more effective and global organized economy. The social consequences of this development depend strongly on the establishment of a democratic procedure, which integrates the concerning social groups.employment; new technologies; social exclusion

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

Naturalness and Neuronal Implants – Changes in the perception of human beings

With our contribution we would like to refer to the debate on nanotechnology (NT) and its implications for the public discourse on the relationship of human beings and technologies. Within NT the convergence of some technologies has been considered as a crucial step towards the long term objective of “enhancing human performance”. The discussion was initiated with an US-American workshop in the year 2002, where the innovative character of converging technology (CT) was strongly underlined (Roco 2002). In the final document of the workshop futuristic and far reaching scenarios on technical development based on NT and on CT were presented. First we address the implications of the mentioned document for research policy in general and especially of NT. Based on the example of neural implants we second qualify the normative expectations within the debate without however denying the helpfulness of these innovations especially in the field of medicine. But we third agree on a critical discussion, which consider a new quality of technological penetration into social and human processes.nanotechnology; innovation; converging technology; medicine; socio-economic implications

Global restructuring and its effects on occupations: towards a new division of labor?

The following contribution considers whether global restructuring creates new forms of the division of labor. On the basis of empirical data from a comparative project in 14 European countries, the author supports the hypothesis that in addition to the ongoing process of the internationalization of work, there are ‘hidden’ effects at the local level. From the perspective of three occupational clusters, dynamics can be observed which have differing impacts on the occupational groups. Thus, there is a simultaneous process of restructuring and redefining skills, labor processes and the working organization which forms the daily reality of working men and women.EC research project on Work Organization Restructuring in the Knowledge Society (WORKS

Change on Work: the crisis of the labour economy

In 1982, at the 21st German Congress of Sociology the discussion was around a new topic: the crisis of the labour economy. Since then the conditions changed and the informatisation and technology development of work environments took place. Here are presented some of the new trends in terms of analisis of changes in the work environment. Der im Jahre 1982 durchgeführte 21. Deutschen Soziologentag in Bamberg mit dem Titel „Krise der Arbeitsgesellschaft?“ wurde sicherlich bewusst mit einem Fragezeichen versehen. Wenn im Rahmen der „Verhandlungen“ in Bamberg noch die Möglichkeit ausgeschlossen wurde, wissensbasierte Tätigkeitsfelder zu „normieren“, so wurden über die beiden organisatorischen Instrumente der Selbstorganisation und der Flexibilisierung höchst effektive Rahmenbedingungen geschaffen, um die Nutzung der Arbeitskraft zu kontrollieren und zu steigern. Aus unterschiedlichen Blickwinkeln und Arbeitskontexten beschäftigen sich alle Beiträge des vorliegenden Schwerpunktes mit dem Wandel der Arbeit.labour economy; technology; controversies

Assistant without Master? Some Conceptual Implications of Assistive Robotics in Health Care

The subject of “technical assistants” in inpatient care is currently being widely discussed in scientific and public circles. In many cases, though, it has become apparent that the umbrella term “assistive technologies”, also in the context of robotics, is very contrived. Against this background, the authors of this article reflect on the meaning of “assistance” in socio-technical systems, and critically review its relevance. To understand and demonstrate “assistive” functions, it is essential to establish a frame of reference. The re-evaluation of an empirical study of people with dementia in inpatient care has revealed the functional character of technical assistance systems. The results, however, show that the theoretical debate on the social and organisational function of “assistance” in these technical fields is still lacking. Therefore, the reflections in this paper may also provide some starting points for this debate

Internet for all? The Discussion on the "digital divide" revisited

Die Diskussion um das digital divide oder die digitale Spaltung, wie sie für den deutschsprachigen Raum übersetzt wird, wird nun schon seit nahezu zehn Jahren intensiv geführt.1 Vor allem im Rahmen der politischen Diskussion hat sich das Bedrohungsszenario einer digitalen Spaltung innerhalb der Gesellschaften festgesetzt. Aber auch weite Teile der wissenschaftlichen Debatte haben dieses Szenario aufgegriffen und aus unterschiedlichen Perspektiven beleuchtet und analysiert. Obgleich sich diese Diskussion im Laufe der letzten Jahre sehr ausdifferenziert hat, ist die Stoßrichtung der Debatte, so unsere These, von einer dualistischen Struktur geprägt, die sich kontraproduktiv auf die Perspektive der Nutzungsbedingungen der Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien (im Folgenden auch IuK) auswirkt und bestimmte Sichtweisen ausblendet.2 Die Frage: Wer hat Angst vor der digitalen Spaltung?, die schon Mirko Marr (2004) gestellt hat, weist genau auf diese Engführung der Sichtweise, die in den folgenden Ausführungen diskutiert werden soll mit dem Ziel, den Umgang mit dieser Technologie als offenen Prozess umzudeuten, der keine Festlegungen der Nutzungsbedingungen des Internets vornimmt. Dieses Vorgehen vermeidet eine technikdeterministische Sichtweise und ermöglicht die Bewertung der Internetnutzung als eine funktionale Handlungsmöglichkeit unter mehreren Möglichkeiten. In den folgenden Ausführungen wird die Debatte um digital divide diskursanalytisch rekonstruiert, indem im ersten Schritt der originäre Diskussionszusammen-zweiten Schritt seine wissenschaftliche Differenzierung darzustellen (2). Im Anschluss daran wird der Versuch unternommen, diese Debatte nach techniksoziologischen Ansätzen zu bündeln (3). Schließlich werden in einem Ausblick kritische Stimmen dieses Ansatzes diskutiert, die das Bedrohungspotential des digital divide entkräften sowie von ihren deterministischen Komponenten der Technikentwicklung befreien wollen.digital divide; information technology; communication technology; internet

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