Increasing Automation in the Workplace
1. 'Increasing automation in the workplace will benefit everyone in society.' Do you agree with this statement? Critically evaluate the statement and explain your answer using theory, evidence, and examples.
You are encouraged to use examples to back up your answers. These could be related to organisations that you have researched. You may also draw on your own experience of organisations in your answers.
You should use a bare minimum of 6 academic references in your essay.
1. 1. Make sure that you answer the question that is asked in its entirety, rather than just writing what you know about the topic.
2. 2. Include a clear introduction to the question, including your answer to it, and a clear conclusion that summarizes your argument.
3.
4. Include a range of theory and examples from the academic literature ,rely on both personal experience and on cleverly selected statistics or case examples. Well written
1. Problem statement
This would be the first part of your introduction if you were to write out a full essay. You should aim to write about words here. Try to respond to the following questions:
* • What are the key terms / concepts in the question? How would you define or understand them?
* • What is interesting about this question? Why does it matter? How does it relate to the theoretical literature and your experience and / or knowledge of organisations?
2. Argument outline
This would be the second part of your introduction in a full essay. It should explain how you plan to answer the question and what your argument is. Try to respond to the following questions:
* • What is your response to the question or statement in the essay title?
* • If it’s a statement, do you think it’s true or false? Why?
* • If it’s a question, what is your answer? Why?
* • What sort of theoretical and evidential support will you use to make your argument?
* • How will your answer be structured?
3. Theory and evidence
This would make up the main body of a full essay. You will need to describe what you have read and relate it to your argument, which was presented in the previous section.• Break this section down into smaller sections, each covering one main point. Give each section a descriptive subheading. These would make up sections or paragraphs in your final essay.
* • Within each section, outline and critically evaluate the theories, empirical evidence and examples that you will use to support your argument.
* • Explain how each of these supports your answer.
4. Conclusion
This should be your answer to the question or your reaction to the statement based on your argument as outlined in section 2. Try to respond to the following questions:
* • What is your answer to the question?
* • How does the question engage with the theory?
* • How does it relate to the evidence or examples?
* • What limitations can you see in the literature or in your answer?
5. Reference list
Please list all your sources here, including websites, newspapers and magazines. Use the Harvard citation style. You must have a minimum of 6 academic references (journal articles or books).
INCREASING AUTOMATION IN THE WORKPLACE
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Increasing Automation in the Workplace
Technological advancement has ushered in a new era of automation that enables employees to use integrated computer and communication systems to support workplace activities. Emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, advanced robotics, and machine learning can automate many tasks performed by workers (Manyika et al., 2017). Automation refers to the development and application of technologies to reduce the level of human activity required to complete a particular task (Mckay et al., 2019). When used in the workplace, it improves the efficiency, reliability, and speed of tasks humans previously performed. Due to minimum human intervention, automation disrupts work and reduces the need for a particular work type.
The primary reason for using automation in the workplace is to reduce labor or substitute humans in repetitive tasks (Smith, 2019). However, there has been a growing fear that increasing automation in the workplace would force millions of people out of work. In as much as technology can replace human labor, it should be noted that automation is, at its core, an opportunity to harness machines' power to improve human lives (Manyika et al., 2017). Modern technology indeed presents some threats to workers. However, workers can benefit from these machines in various ways so long as adjustments are made to the way humans approach work.
This essay presents a correction of sorts, with a wave of reassurances to minimize misconceptions about automation. The paper employs various studies, theories, and evidence to support the view that increasing automation in the workplace will not benefit everyone in society. It evaluates past and present trends as they affect both individuals and communities. The key concept in the question is the advantages of automation in the workplace and its impact on society. Key terms used in the essay include automation, Artificial Intelligence, robots, human-robot interaction, and Technology advancement.
Artificial intelligence is the computer or a robot's ability to perform tasks done by humans (Manyika et al., 2017). A robot refers to an automatically operated machine that resembles a human being and performs human tasks (Smith, 2019). Human-robot interaction is the study of communication between humans and robots (Mckay et al., 2019). Technological advancement is the discovery of knowledge that improves the understanding of technology (Shabbir et al., 2016).
Defining the above key concepts and terms helps in understanding them. One exciting thing about this question is that it raises arguments on whether organizations should encourage automation use. The question: - Will increasing automation in the workplace benefit everyone in society, matters because it makes organizations weigh the advantages and disadvantages of automation and determine its significance in corporate social responsibility.
The question relates to the theoretical literature and my experience of organizations in the sense that it attempts to explore the advantages of automation in the workplace and society. Theoretically, the advantages of automation outweigh its disadvantages. That is why most organizations intend to introduce it. Common benefits of automation include increased production, high product quality, improved safety, reduced factory lead times, shorter labor workweeks, and more efficient material use (Frank et al., 2018). These advantages benefit not only the company and workers but also society. The primary disadvantage of automation is employee displacement because automation takes away more jobs from workers (Mckay et a., 2019). When it does, some people in society end up being jobless, which reduces their living standards. Therefore, due to automation's advantages and disadvantages, it is safe to state that this technology will not benefit everyone in society.
My response to the statement is that automation cannot benefit everyone in society but can benefit the majority. It is because it carries both advantages and disadvantages which impact the community positively and negatively respectively. As such, the statement, ''increasing automation in the workplace will benefit everyone in society'' is false because not every member of the society will enjoy automation benefits. A key argument, in this case, is that automation can cause stress among displaced workers.
Some of the workers are members of society, and when a machine takes over their jobs, they undergo emotional stress. To make this argument, theoretical and evidential support will be used. These include the observable benefits and disadvantages of automation in society. Therefore, the answer to the above statement will be structured as follows: - determining the critical benefits of automation and identifying the primary disadvantages of the technology to make a conclusive judgment.
Theory and Evidence
The theory of automata, developed by Warren McCulloch in 1943, is the study of abstract machines and computational problems that can be solved using these machines (Hopcroft et al., 2011). This theory is behind the introduction of machines that do not require human intervention (Automation). Over the years, business executives, labor leaders, college professors, and government officials have argued on automation's social merits (Pham et al., 2018). The most significant controversy has emphasized the effect of automation on employment, economic competition, productivity, education, and qualities of life have also been reviewed (Frank et al., 2018). This section examines these issues. The hypothesis is that automation increases productivity promotes safety, and boosts job growth. In the same context, automation poses challenges for workers and communities.
There is no doubt that automation has considerable benefits in the workplace. This technological innovation will contribute positively to society's economic and social growth (Pham et al., 2018). However, recent technological developments have raised questions about the impact of automation on workers and society. Present studies predicting the future impacts of automation have yielded conflicting results (Mckay et al., 2019). Therefore, to discuss automation's future implications in society, it is necessary to look at studies that have analyzed its actual effects in the past.
Historically, automation has opened more employment opportunities than it has destroyed. By limiting the human labor required to perform specific tasks, automation increases labor productivity (Mckay et al., 2019). Basic economic theory argues that automation will amplify the demand for jobs. A boost in productivity with the help of automation will increase output for the same input level hence generate a higher Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (Mckay et al., 2019). A higher GDP leads to higher consumption of products and services, which increases labor demand and jobs.
These factors’ net effects have proven positive over the long-term. Anna Salomons and David Autor studied data from 28 organizations across 19 countries. They found that the net impacts of total productivity growth, which automation is a fundamental factor, contributed to around 18% growth in overall employment from 1970 to 2007 (Mckay et al., 2019). For example, McKinsey Global Institute reported that personal computers created almost 16 million new jobs in the US since 1970 despite displacing nearly 4 million jobs (Mckay et al., 2019). Demand for accountants, typists, and secretaries reduced because of the existence of accounting and word-processing software. Although automation has positively impacted the economy, the disruptive effect of this technology on individuals and communities remains (Mckay et al., 2019).
Impact of Automation
Displacement of Some Workers
Almost all organizations that install automation, especially robotics, replace human labor with an automated system. It means the dislocation of human work from the workplace is one of the direct effects of automation. Since robots can automatically perform some tasks, they render the employees who previously performed those tasks redundant for production processes (Smith, 2019). Workers rendered redundant risk being laid off. This case shows how automation has left most employees jobless.
Since the introduction of the first machines at the beginning of the nineteenth century, there has been an increase in redundant workers' layoffs. An early example is launching the looms in the United Kingdom in the early nineteenth century (Mckay et al., 2019). Skilled weavers suddenly experienced stiff competition with machines that could weave better and faster (Mckay et al., 2019). The competition was followed by wage reduction and replacement by cheaper-unskilled workers who could operate the machines.
Nowadays, such layoffs seem inevitable despite strict labor regulations and strong employment organizations that offer some employee protection and compensation during furloughs (Pham et al., 2018). Practically, when a company increases automation, its primary concern is profitability....