Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Week 2_ Blog 1
In Chapter 3 the concept of Division of Labor was defined as the separation tasks into discrete units. The division of labors occurred during the rise of modern factories in the time of the industrial period. This marked the industrial revolution. I find this concept to be a very important component of every work place setting and also in a school setting. Sometimes certain classes require a group project and to make the work load easier, different tasks are separated amongst the group members. As a coach, I divide some responsibilities with the on-campus advisor. Division of labor makes it easier to get things done and sometimes they rely on another’s task completion.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I agree that division of labor is a very important concept. My boyfriend and I use that concept daily with house chores and taking care of our son. We divide the responsibilities in order to make the atmosphere less stressful for both of us. I also agree division of labor is greatly used in the workplace.
I do not think you will find anyone who isn't in complete agreement that division of labor is a good thing. I would take it a step further and suggest that is it is actually natural. In a more primal setting work would have divided between those in the village who hunted, protected the village, or performed religious or political tasks. It is only when work became regimented by the assembly line that the division of labor broke down somewhat.
Hi Adriana,
Division of labor is something that must be a part of organizations because then work can be done effectively in a timely manner. I like your example of how you divide your responsibilities with the on-campus advisor because then things can be done efficiently without you 'burning out.' Where I work, we split up our tasks through our 'daily worksheets,' where we have a checklist of duties we are required to finish by the end of our shifts. This division of labor is a process that works effectively in my organization because we all have an equal amount of work to do. Since that is the case, we are able to finish our tasks in time.
The division of labor however has broader implications that affect our society. While the division of labor does allow one to more easily carry out a task, it can turn an individual's work into a commodity that can be sold or traded. I do not mean to get all Marxist on you. However, what I want to point out is that if left unchecked the conversion of labor into a commodity can land our society where we were at during the industrial revolution and during the height of scientific management, where people were viewed as a simple parts of the machine. Today, we can see the conversion of a person's labor into a commodity through temporary employment agencies. These temp agencies trade a person's labor for a profit and more than likely do not ensure that the employee is able to dialogue and convey their creativity in the task that they are assigned.
Post a Comment