Management Alternatives to Replacing Human Workforce Management Alternatives to Replacing Human Workforce Uta Batts Fayetteville Technical Community College BUS 137 0001 FA Principles of Management Prof. Ray Walters November 14, 2016 Management Alternatives to Replacing Human Workforce Abstract In today’s workforce, there is a silent fear lurking amongst blue and white collar workers alike. There is a worldwide threat of machines beating people out of jobs that many have invested time and money to acquire. As leaders and positions of management we are the soothsayers to those masses. What can we as leaders be prepared to do to satiate the worried minds of the ones that depend on the existence of these positions? Would it be more detrimental or beneficial to society to reduce the human workforce and put so many bodies out of work? Does protecting the bottom line conflict with social responsibility? how management can incorporate a more utilitarian approach and stay in the game? Uta Batts Prof. Ray Walters Bus 137 0001 FA 16 November 2016 Management Alternatives to Replacing Human Workforce The fear of losing our jobs to automation is all but too real with predictions from consultants in partnership with Oxford University and economists forecasting that at least 35 percent of our jobs to be at risk within the next 20 years (Wakefield). As leaders of the masses in the human workforce we are not exempt from the effects of automation and it would serve us well
Robots can effect employment in a negative way,as said by the author Kelly “It may be hard to believe… 70 percent of today’s occupation will likewise be replaced by automation...even you will have your job taken away by machines”(Kelly Page.300), this quote comes to show the negative aspect of robots taking over the world in the near
In an age where technology is so advanced that robots replace humans in the workplace, it is no surprise that increasingly fewer Americans are considered full-time employees. While proponents of advancement argue that technology adds a high level job for every low level job it takes away, low class manufacturing jobs will not be the only newly-automated jobs. Due to rapid advancement, computers are projected to be one thousand times more powerful in the 2030s than computers today (McChesney and Nichols, 2016, 246). With these improvements, no human’s job is safe.
article Carr explains how machines are making humans lazy and are weakening our awareness and attentiveness. He gives examples about situations where humans relied on computer operated machines. One of those examples were about a plane crash that killed all 50 people on board. “It reveals that automation, for all its benefits, can take a toll on the performance and talents of those who rely on it.” said Carr. The pilot of that plane had training but the more planes he let be in auto pilot the less control inputs he remembered causing him to react in an adverse way and unable to safely land the plane.
"Ironies of Automation", by Bainbridge discusses the problem that technological automation systems may increase issues with the human operator, rather than decrease them. “The Great Forgetting” mentions Bainbridge and explains that individuals have trouble focusing on information for more than half an hour, so people that are forced to watch these automated machines do the work instead of them are losing their own skills of doing the job. Bainbridge’s article discusses an irony in the field of automation systems. An irony she mentions is that these systems are invented to do the operators job better than the operator would do it, yet the operator is required to watch the system to make sure everything goes alright. The article mentions the fact that even these high technological systems need human supervision and maintenance.
The article “Automation Makes Us Dumb” from Nicolas Carr, published November 21st, 2014 talks about how the advancement of technology has resulted in the automation of many jobs and processes, which in return has caused the human proficiency and creativity aspect to dwindle. Carr does recognize the importance of automation in the different job fields and uses the examples like airplane pilots’ ability to conduct manual maneuvers that are required for pilots to always know. He has found that these types of skills have slowly slipped away as pilots have relied on autopilot automation functions more. Carr starts his example with workers in a factory shortly after World War II and continues his example to even the white-collar workers today.
Not everyone is so receptive to this growing technology however. With changes happening too fast for many, there is a recurring argument that with this technology comes more automation and less personalization. The New Yorker’s Maria Konnikova put it best in, The Hazards of Going on Autopilot, where she compares automation to a pilot going on autopilot, “The more a procedure is automated, and the more comfortable we become with it, the less conscious attention we feel we need to pay to it.”
The article ‘Rise of the Machines’ is Not a Likely Future (2015), Michael Littman addresses the issue and worries that people have with regards to technology. The article attempts to persuade readers to believe that there is no need to fear technology as it is just not possible that they can overtake humanity. Zeynep Tufekci touches on the issue of machines taking over jobs of human, titled “The Machines are Coming (2015)”. She attempts to argue that there is no need to reject or blame technology for taking over jobs at the workplace. Littman’s argument is stronger than Tufekci as he provided logical reasoning due to a well balanced structure with consideration of opposable viewpoints with substantial evidence and effective usage of Pathos to appeal to the reader. Tufecki’s argument is weak due to the lack of evidence and her claim was only brought in at the end of her article which makes it seem very lop-sided.
We live in the age of constant technological innovation and endless information; in which we are so connected and dependent on the technology we use that we sometimes don’t even realize how much we’re relying on it. In The Glass Cage by Nicholas Carr, Carr defines automation as, “the use of computers and software to do things we used to do ourselves,” and argues that there are daunting consequences to our reliance on technology (Carr 1). In his book, Nicholas Carr sets up three arguments related to automation, tacit knowledge, and the idea of work. His main arguments throughout the novel are that humans are overestimating the benefits of automation, losing tacit knowledge through our reliance on technology, and
The auto industry would soon find itself in the same conundrum Henry Ford did at the turn of the 20th century with the Model-T, in which he made great cars but no one could afford them. The companies will have to strike a balance between automation and employee’s, if they get it right the possibilities are endless. The clear and very real dangers with these new models is that can you really be comfortable turning your life over to a machine. Will the computer be able to make the sometimes-necessary life and death calls that it may encounter? What series of algorithms, will it use to make such calculations. Mankind is brilliant in our ability to apply reason as well as ingenuity, with courage in pushing the limits of our technology. These skills have served us well as they have taken us to the moon; however, these same abilities have brought us to near destruction, one hopes that we will no longer have to mouth that silent lament to ourselves “never
One of the biggest controversies with the advancement of artificial intelligence is the debate on job automation. Many people believe that artificial intelligence will advance to become better than humans and replace humans in most jobs. The opposite belief is that AI will be used to improve the standard of living and will be a tool to support humans, not replace them. Job automation has many benefits such as performing more dangerous jobs and complete tasks that humans do not desire to do. Even though job automation has benefits, there are many people who believe robots will take over the job market and the unemployment rate will skyrocket. There are multiple supporting factors for each side of the job automation debate, but the argument will never be settled until AI is further advanced and utilized.
Advancement in technology has changed the way people work. Rehman (2015), asserts that low skilled workers are facing the pressure by technological developments such as robots and computer developments when undertaking tasks in the workplace. On the other hand, University Alliance (no date) says that technology change is transforming the way people work particularly in the high skilled areas. Likewise, Recruitment Times (2015) shows that 35% of existing UK jobs are at high risk of replacement, 30% in London. 40% of jobs however are at low risk or no risk, 51% in London. Technology and automation are creating a high rift in the labour market which is a concern for graduates if their degree is of no use. This suggests that graduates need to learn
Introduction: Humanity has always struggled with the concepts of automation because of its lasting effects on people. While most would argue against automation in this classroom, I suggest instead that we accept it and allow it to become part of our lives. I have family members whose jobs have been replaced by automation, and I honestly think they are living a better life because of it. It will affect humans well in both the long and short term by allowing us to continue to push towards an optimistic future. I understand that this is a long way off, and I understand it will be a hard road but it is worth it.
Increased automation is the result of a need to reduce cost, which in turn is driven by a company's need to become more competitive and grow market share -- a trend accelerated by pressures felt by the difficult economic situation.
Automation is likely to change the vast majority of occupations—at least to some degree—which will necessitate significant job redefinition and a transformation of business processes. Mortgage-loan officers, for instance, will spend much less time inspecting and processing rote paperwork and
Since the industrial revolution, automation in workplaces has steadily increased. However, with a sudden boom of technological advances, people have created machines that can perform tasks more efficiently - and arguably better - than humans. Because millennials, defined by the United States Census Bureau as the generation born between 1982 and 2000 (United States Census Bureau, 2017), either just entered into the workforce or will first be entering the workforce in the next couple years, they seem the most vulnerable to automation taking over their jobs. Mark Zuckerberg, entrepreneur and founder of Facebook, said “[the millennial] generation will have to deal with tens of millions of jobs replaced by automation like self-driving cars and trucks” (Zuckerberg, 2017). Danielle Paquette, journalist for the Washington Post, believes that no single job is safe from automation; “every job has some component a robot could theoretically handle” (Paquette 2017). Both of the previous statements create a question about how automation will affect the un- and underemployment of the millennial generation. The risk of either un- or underemployment for millennials depends largely on the type of job, as well as each a person’s degrees and other qualifications. By delving into the problem of automation in workplaces, maybe people can find a way to make the benefits of automation outweigh the consequences.