The Western Edge

In this part we have discussed the impact of information technol­ ogy on the quantity and quality of work, on organizational struc­ ture, and on products. We have examined if, and to what extent, this impact differs from that of technological innovation in the past. Our findings strongly suggest that there is a difference. With regard to the quantity of work, the introduction of informa­ tion technology seems to accelerate the historical trend of capital intensification which is accompanied by reductions in the average numbers of hours worked per year. The other changes associated of with information technology signal a trendshift. Degradation work is transformed - though hesitantly - into upgrading; dif­ ferentiation and increasing scale into reintegration and decreasing scale; and mass production into custom tailored production. The rise of the information sector has reinforced this trendshift. On the micro level, firms that implement information technology accordingly are likely to gain an edge over their competitors.