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Implications for the Training Provision for Brazilian Office Workers TECHNOLOGY, SKILLS AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF WORK: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE TRAINING PROVISION FOR BRAZILIAN . OFFICE WORKERS Ana Maria Lakomy Dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of PhD in Education at the Institute of Education University of London Department of Policy Studies Institute of Education University of London 1995 BIEL LOREN. UNA/. Abstract This thesis is concerned with the process of office automation in Brazil and its skills and training outcomes. The thesis combines a theoretical analysis with an empirical study undertaken in Brazil. Following an introductory chapter, Chapter 2 discusses and analyses two existing theoretical perspectives which address the relationship between technology, work organisation and skills. These are: the labour process approach with reference to the 'deskilling thesis' developed by Harry Braverman (1974) and the 'flexible specialisation thesis' based on Michael Piore and Charles Sabel (1984). They focus on technological changes on the shopfloor, in advanced industrialised countries. Chapter 3 applies the main arguments put forward by these two • approaches to the office environment in advanced industrialised countries. Based on the discussion of a number of empirical studies concerned with the skill outcomes of new technology in the office, the chapter also develops two models of office automation: the 'technology-driven' and the 'informational' models. These models are used as a framework for the discussion of the empirical research undertaken in Brazilian offices. Chapter 4 discusses the recent economic developments in Brazil in order to provide a context for understanding the empirical findings. The chapter describes the country's process of industrialisation, the current economic context and its implications for the adoption of new technology in the Brazilian office environment. Chapter 5 focuses on the empirical research conducted in Brazilian offices and training agencies. It describes the perspectives of managers, office workers and deputy directors of training agencies with regard to technology, skills and training. The chapter then analyses these perspectives in the light of the two theoretical models of office automation developed in Chapter 3. Chapter 6 summarises the main conclusions of this thesis, and draws some implications for training policies in Brazil. Acknowledgements The present work has been concluded thanks to the support and encouragement of some people as well as institutions directly involved. I would like to thank the Brazilian government agency Capes for the financial support which made it possible for me to do this thesis. I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Michael Young, for his guidance which was important to the development and completion of this thesis. I would like give a special thanks to Elizabeth Brunt, Ina Sinclair and Andrea Sinclair for their emotional support during my stay in England. I would like to extend my thanks to my Brazilian friends Carmem Smith, Denise and Jesse de Souza for their permanent encouragement. I would thank Gisele Guilherme and Cristina Veiga for standing beside me during such an important part of my life. I would also like to express my deep thanks to Alison Sinclair for offering me the support necessary to the conclusion of this work. I owe a very special gratitude to my family for having always supported my personal and professional achievements. I would like to thank Lucas, Lucio, Rosi and Livia Lakomy for their emotional support. It was their support which helped me to conclude this work. Finally, I would like to express my profound gratitude to my parents, Edward and Anna Lakomy, for having taught me to pursue my personal and professional goals no matter how difficult these seemed to be. W ithout their encouragement and love the determination to complete this work would have perhaps faded away. It is to them that I dedicate the result of so much effort. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract Acknowledgements 3 List of Appendices 7 List of Tables 8 Chapter 1: Introduction 9 Chapter 2: Two Theoretical Approaches to Work, Technology, Skills and Training 1. Introduction 21 2. The Labour Process Approach 23 2.1 The Deskilling Thesis: The Work of Harry Braverman 31 2.2 Braverman's Approach to Skills and Training 35 2.3 A Critical Review of the Deskilling Thesis 39 2.4 Summary 47 3. The Flexible Specialisation Thesis: The Work of Piore and Sabel 49 3.1 The Crisis in Mass Production: The Five Critical Episodes 55 3.2 The Corporate Response: Conglomeration and Multinationalisation 63 3.3 The Alternative Strategy: Flexible Specialisation 68 3.4 Flexible Specialisation: Skills and Training Implications 72 3.5 A Critical Review of the Flexible Specialisation Thesis 77 3.6 Summary 87 4 Chapter 3: Two Theoretical Approaches to Work, Technology and Skills in the Office Environment 1. Introduction 93 2. The Labour Process Approach 96 2.1 Labour Process Studies of the Office Work 103 2.2 A Critical Review of Labour Process Studies 117 2.3 Summary 124 3. The Flexible Specialisation Approach 125 3.1 The Case of Office Automation in the Manufacturing Sector 130 3.2 The Case in the Insurance Sector 134 3.3 The Case in the Service Sector 140 3.4 Summary 151 Chapter 4: The Economic Context: From Import-Substitution to Trade Liberalisation 1. Introduction 158 2. The Import-Substitution Model 160 2.1 The 'Brazilian Miracle' 164 2.2 The Current Economic Context 169 3. Some Implications for the Adoption of New Technology in Brazilian Offices 174 5 Chapter 5 : The Introduction of New Technology in Offices in Brazil 1. Introduction 179 2. Managers' Approaches to New Technology 188 2.1 Reasons Behind the Introduction of New Technology 190 2.2 Organisational Changes Following the Adoption of New Technology 202 3. Managers' Approaches to Training 210 3.1 On-the-Job Training 216 3.2 In-House Training Courses 226 4. Office Workers' Approaches to Technology and Training 238 4.1 A More Informational Approach to Technology and Training 241 4.2 A More Technology-Driven Approach to Technology and Training 258 5. Private Training Agencies: Deputy Directors' Approaches to Training 264 6. Summary 272 Chapter 6: Conclusions 1. Introduction 274 2. Discussion of the Findings 278 3. Considerations for Training in Brazil 287 Bibliography 297 6 List of Appendices Appendix 1: Methodology 316 Appendix 2: Guidelines for the Interviews with Managers 325 Appendix 3: Guidelines for the Interviews with Office Workers 328 Appendix 4: Guidelines for the Interviews with Deputy Directors of Training Agencies 330 7 List of Tables Table 1: The type of training provided and the percentage of office workers trained up to 1992 332 Table 2: The division of office workers interviewed according to the two models of office automation 333 Table 3: Some characteristics of the sample 334 Table 4: Educational background of office workers interviewed 335 8 Chapter 1: Introduction The rapid technological change of the last three decades has stimulated a debate about the relationship between new technology' and skill requirements, training needs, work organisation and labour relations. The literature on the issue almost entirely refers to advanced industrialised countries in spite of the fact that less developed nations are likely to be drawn into processes of technological innovation in the workplace, albeit with considerably slower rates of technological diffusion. It also tends to concentrate on technological changes and its implications for the work process on the shopfloor, and limited attention is given to the office environment. This thesis, in contrast, is concerned with the implications of new technology for skills and training in the office, with reference to a newly industrialised country - Brazil. There are various reasons for studying the relationship between new technology and work process in the office in general, and in the Brazilian office environment in particular. This thesis focuses on the office environment because, as is noted by various commentators (Forrester, 1980, 1985; Long, 1987; Guiliano, 1985; 1 New technology' or 'new information technology' is a general term used in the literature which reflects the convergence of several streams of technical developments, including microelectronics, computer science, telecommunications, software engineering and system analysis. For more detail see Forrester (1985). 9 Castells, 1989; Lieberman et al, 1982), the office has become a major area for the application of new technology for two reasons. On the one hand, the recession and the need to remain competitive in domestic and world markets have increased the pressure on firms in advanced industrialised countries to search for more efficient forms of production in the office. The use of technology is seen as a possible way of increasing the productivity of managers and office workers as well as the overall quality of office and administrative activities. On the other hand, technological developments in microelectronics have enhanced the potential application of new technology in offices. For instance, the last two decades have seen the introduction of network on-line micro- and minicomputer systems and of standalone or 'desktop' personal computers into offices and administrative operations, where computerisation was previously impossible'-. The electronic transmission of information between offices is facilitated by new technologies such as PABX exchanges and local area networks (LANs), and
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