Back to labor: returning to labor process discussions in the study of work

Back to Labor: to labor process discussions in the study of work Joan Greenbauml Department of Inforrnatics University of Oslo Post Box 1080 Blindern 0316 Oslo Norway joan@ifi.uio.no This paper argues that the CSCW focus on work needs to be expanded to include labor issues. Specifically it examines the role of labor issues such as wages, working conditions and division of labor in analyzing the consequences of information system design for whitecollar jobs. It offers suggestions for including labor issues in the study of both current work practices and in the analysis of future design. A labor process perspective can offer the advantage of being able to design complex and interdependent systems while more clearly viewing current jobs and the consequences of planned systems for different interest groups.

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