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Deskilling: The Degradation of Labour?

Paul Thompson

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Abstract

The issues of increased deskilling and managerial control have emerged as the two main areas of debate in labour process theory. Emphasis has been placed on the extent and nature of the trends, and their impact on the degradation of work. It is very difficult to separate the two questions. For example, Braverman has argued that the labour process has been affected by technical transformations and the reorganisation of work associated with scientific management. However, deskilling is not only a product of the incorporation of science and technology into capital, it is also interconnected with Taylorism.

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The issues of increased deskilling and managerial control have emerged as the two main areas of debate in labour process theory. Emphasis has been placed on the extent and nature of the trends, and their impact on the degradation of work. It is very difficult to separate the two questions. For example, Braverman has argued that the labour process has been affected by technical transformations and the reorganisation of work associated with scientific management. However, deskilling is not only a product of the incorporation of science and technology into capital, it is also interconnected with Taylorism.

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Available abstract

The issues of increased deskilling and managerial control have emerged as the two main areas of debate in labour process theory. Emphasis has been placed on the extent and nature of the trends, and their impact on the degradation of work. It is very difficult to separate the two questions. For example, Braverman has argued that the labour process has been affected by technical transformations and the reorganisation of work associated with scientific management. However, deskilling is not only a product of the incorporation of science and technology into capital, it is also interconnected with Taylorism.

Key concepts: Deskilling, Work (physics), Process (computing), Capital (architecture), Product (mathematics), Neoclassical economics, Sociology, Political science

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