Answer

ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR: MM 254 ASSIGNMENT

INCREASING AUTOMATION IN THE WORKPLACE WILL BENEFIT EVERYONE IN SOCIETY

Introduction

From the invention of fire by early man to humankind settling in communities, there have been advancements in technology and machinery used by each individual. Each of these inventions has assisted in better living standards amongst people. As settlements increased, people also sought ways to make agriculture more effective. Therefore, inventors became creative in their inventions, bringing about the Industrial Age. The Industrial Revolution came with equipment that brought rise to factories and machinery that brought about efficiency in work productivity (McKinsey Global Institute, 2018). People advanced in their inventions through the Industrial Age, which came with opposition from people who opposed automation and technological advancements (Vasilescu and Filzmoser, 2020). Therefore, as the world moved through the phases of the Industrial Age, namely, mechanization, automation, digitalization, and the present age of robotics, some people have to date found the encroachment of technology as a menace threatens their livelihoods. Therefore, the opposition has increased, leading to innovations focusing on how everyone will benefit from them. Ultimately, as the Industrial Age transforms workplaces and living amongst people in society through innovations providing benefits to society, others oppose it.  Therefore, the question at the back of the mind is whether the advancement of technology and innovation through automation benefits everyone in society?

Problem Statement

The advancement in technology and innovation has seen a rise in automation in the workplace. Over the last twenty years, automation has steadily increased in the workplace compared to the last century. However, most employees have embraced automation, while others have leaned towards automation being a menace in society. According to a 2018 research by the McKinsey Global Institute, the increase in automation in the workplace goes beyond the office and has benefited society. There have been attempts over history and presently to oppose automation, but these oppositions are yet to be significant, with automation spreading through the workplace and benefiting everyone in society.

Terms Used

Automation is the key concept in this essay, with evidence supporting its benefits in society over its opposition. According to the McKinsey Global Institute (2018), automation incorporates various technological advancements that foster an easy working relationship amongst employees to achieve the organization’s overall success by reducing employee arbitration to the work process.

Relevance to Terms Used

Understanding automation presents an interesting point in learning the history of the phases of the Industrial Age into mechanization, automation, digitalization, and robotics and their impact in revolutionizing the workforce while benefiting society. The transformation of the Industrial age presents theories where a section of people opposed advancements in technology and their reasons for it (Harris, 2020). However, understanding the impact of automation and its benefits to society shows the need to embrace automation as the world transitions into the age of automation and artificial intelligence.

Argument Outline

In light of the statement, “Increasing automation in the workplace will benefit everyone in society,” I agree that the rise of automation through advancements in innovation and technology has resulted in increased automation in the workplace. This increased automation across organizations globally has seen an increase in output across manufacturing, processing, and service industries that have benefited society. The incorporation of technology through automation has been possible by introducing robotics and systems that are automated (McKinsey Global Institute, 2018). While technological advancements tend to increase automation and artificial intelligence, automation has not crept in silently to disrupt jobs and put people in organizations out of work; rather, automation has been incorporated in business enterprises to reduce specific job functions that the human workforce in organizations may be ineffective to and by doing so mitigate risks involved.

Historically, advancements in technology through the introduction of machinery as far back as the industrial revolution saw an upset in the economies of scale. Workers who were used to farming saw this as a ploy to put them out of work and sought to decentralize the industrial revolution, but that did not stop factories from being set up (Kravchenko and Kyzymenko, 2019). Rather, through the years, people around the world embraced industrialization, and now, in the modern age, a new wave of innovation is creeping into the workplace, a wave of automation. This essay stands out in addressing how historical evidence will set a precedent towards people embracing automation and technological advancements towards the benefits of automation in society while also dispelling the theory that automation is a menace to society.

The essay will provide a brief historical background into the coming of age of technology through the industrial revolution into new-age technology. Following this, there will be a theoretical understanding of the Luddite movement, their influence on embracing change in the industrial age, and how that has affected people’s mindset with the encroachment of technology. Afterward, the paper will seek to provide evidence in the form of examples that show how automation has benefited society. Lastly, the paper will discuss the limitations of automation in society while offering recommendations that will foster technological advancements and change people’s mindset to accept and incorporate automation and artificial intelligence.

Theory and Evidence

Historical Background

As far back as the early man with the invention of fire, humankind has been fascinated with advancements in innovations to better their lives. As fire guaranteed survival, cooked food, and a source of light, human beings have become more innovative over time. With human kind’s societal settlement came agriculture, which sought even more advancement in the rise of the industrial age, where digitalization can be traced back to the Industrial Age.

By far, the industrial age might be the biggest contributor to new age technological advancements through four phases of the industrial revolution. Through the first wave of the industrial revolution, people moved from manual labor and entered factory production. This period contributed to the development of mechanical engineering in the 18^th Century, known as the age of mechanization (Kravchenko and Kyzymenko, 2019). The second phase of the Industrial revolution saw a rise in inventions during the 19^th Century, known as the age of automation. These inventions saw the first type of “automation” in the advancement of society to have better living standards (Kravchenko and Kyzymenko, 2019). Such inventions included inventions in transportation, textile, electricity, and communication.

Mcfadden (2020) reiterates that inventions in the mid-19^th Century and the first half of the 20^th Century would spark benefits in society that would provide solutions to sectors that helped advance living standards and a rise in urbanization. Inventions like the Watt’s steam engine in 1775 were the first of their kind that revolutionized evolutions in locomotives, the textile industry, and shipbuilding, where steam was first used to propel ships and later turned to turbines. The telegraph saw a major development in how people communicated. Through the telegraph, more inventions that boosted communication rose from this single invention to incorporate telephone booths, landline phones in offices, mobile phones, smartphones, switchboards, and conference phone calls that have since been developed in the modern-day.

John McAdam’s contribution to transportation through the development of roads has since then advanced in how people travel by road, with an array of road networks from streets, lanes, highways, and expressways being developed (Mcfadden, 2020). Other inventions that sparked innovation and creation in modern age technology include the first electromagnet that saw the rise in electromagnets incorporated in electrical devices, Christopher Sholes’ invention of the typewriter in 1867 that led to the rise of typing technology like computers and tablets, and a move from pen and paper as a way of record keeping. Also, the invention of internal combustion engines provided the incentive for the creation of the diesel engine that revolutionized the locomotive industry, and the invention of the light bulb that revolutionized lighting from kerosene and gas lamps that would explode to more sustainable electrical light bulbs used even today (Mcfadden, 2020). Each of these inventions gave rise to the third phase of the Industrial Age.

Kravchenko and Kyzymenko (2019) explain that the third phase of the Industrial age occurred between the 20^th Century’s end and the start of the 21^st Century, known as the age of digitalization. Less than seven decades ago, this short period saw advancements in already developed inventions to suit better working environments such as manufacturing companies and business organizations. These expansions came in furtherance in information technologies. Industries such as production saw technologies developed with the introduction of first-generation computers that saw manufacturing, production, and processing companies spark the age of automation (Sima et al., 2020). The first types of robots were developed during this period, where people worked for hand in hand with the robots to help in tasks that people could not do manually. These tasks included the lifting of heavy raw products or increased volume production in processed foods. Through this, jobs were not abolished; rather, advancements in technology boosted work productivity and reduced risks (Tobenkin, 2019). With the introduction of machinery advancements, risks such as accidents at work were reduced, and workflow increased. Besides manufacturing technological advancements, the third phase saw advancement in the type of energy used. Energy sources, especially in factories and industries, moved from traditional coal and fossil fuels to new renewable energy sources. These included biomass, solar, wind, tidal, geothermal, hydro energies, and hybrid engines (Kravchenko and Kyzymenko, 2019). Lastly, the third phase of the Industrial revolution came with progress in smart grid technology. Such smart grid technology developments include electricity regulation where homes and factories had electricity flow without any blackouts.

Kravchenko and Kyzymenko (2019) explain that the last phase of the Industrial Revolution is the age of robotics. The age of robotics has been existent since 2016. In less than a decade, the age of robotics has incorporated new age trends in robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence. Robotics in this present age of automation in the industrial revolution has progressed from heavy, bulky machinery used in manufacturing, production, and processing industries to lighter, more technologically advanced robots working on computerized software with inputted data on how the factory department they are placed in will work towards effective productivity (Sima et al., 2020).  Trends in automation have led to an increased in the use of computers in conveying operations in routine activities as well as machinery processes; for example, regulation of oven, refrigerator, and boiler temperatures in factories operating telephone service provider switchboards, navigation, and steering of ships and aircraft, and smart home technology. The age of robotics has seen a rise in artificial intelligence in applications such as Google, Google Assistant, and Siri, monitoring social media activity, and mapping diseases. All these phases of the Industrial revolution have not been possible without resistance, with the most memorable being the Luddite movement that has sparked debate on social change and acceptance of technology change.

The Luddite Movement

Between 1811 and 1817 saw a movement around England by a group of people labeled as the Luddites. The Luddites consisted of cotton weavers from Lancashire, framework knitters from Yorkshire, and croppers based in Midlands took to arms and attacked mills in these areas in England that had been invented as laborsaving machinery. They accused that their hardships as laborers were coming into view because the inventions took income out of their mouths. Their retaliation to the inventions that cost less labor force made the government implement machine smashing into an offense punishable by death. Though this law was enacted, the riots and upspring spread through Yorkshire and Lancashire. Some of the most famous mills that were attacked and labor mills destroyed include William Cartwright’s Rufus mill. The attack on the mills by the Luddites constituted ransacking of property and merchandise on the mills, damaging and smashing of mill windows, and machinery destroyed (Ewert, 2019). The riots ended in 1813 with the hanging of 17 Luddites, but the Luddite name lived on through protests.

The Luddite movement was very much rampant during the Industrial revolution era where people opposed the introduction of the industrial age. As the riots and uprising ended in 1813, people who opposed industrialization took up the movement and moved through their reluctance to embrace industrialization, especially automation (Frey and Rahbari, 2019). However, it can be argued that Luddism was more than just an economic protest.

The Industrial revolution (1850-1950) saw the rise in automation and industrial machinery. This would see opposition from people who had fundamentally earned and honed their craft as farmers during the Agrarian revolution that proceeded this era. Therefore, it was bound that movements such as Luddism were imminent. The Luddites, as much as they protested against the inventions stating that many people were being put out of jobs, did deny that the age of automation was here at that moment, rather argued and protested that industrialization through automation and laborsaving machinery would be used to benefit everyone in society (Ewert, 2019). At the Luddite movement, most occupations were in the labor force, either working in farms or mills and production factories that processed goods directly from agriculture. As an economic protest, the people who gathered as the Luddites saw that most affluent people in society had invested in automation technology that threatened the livelihood of many (Frey and Rahbari, 2019).  By their actions of breaking machinery, they were protesting that technology and innovations would benefit one part of the population and all, as society would reap the benefits.

Therefore, looking into the Luddite movement regarding modern age automation and artificial intelligence, there is still rebellion from people in employment. Employees, especially factory workers and other occupations such as bank tellers, have been deemed redundant from automation. Resultantly, automation has affected economies around the world (McKinsey Global Institute, 2018).  For example, loggers used to tree felling in forests have been rendered redundant by introducing tractors that scale cliffs and cut down trees. Although this might be true, the resultant fact is that automation has increased the efficiency in industries leading to societal benefits in different industries and job markets that have embraced automation.

Evidence of Benefits of Automation in Society

Uzialko (2019) affirms that through the technological advancements that have brought about automation and artificial intelligence, there has been a registered increase in efficiency. Employees who work in organizations that embrace automation have seen the effectiveness of incorporating technological advancements in the workplace. The increased efficiency brought about increased productivity that has assured people in society cab access goods and services provided by these organizations faster than decades ago. An example of this is the progress in news and content creation through the development of social media monitoring (Vasilescu and Filzmoser, 2020). People in the community can access news feed and alerts at the comfort of their smartphones, computers, and tablets as soon as the news happens, compared to a few decades ago when news would be read in newspapers by people who had access to televisions and radios.

Automation has further benefited society through the reduction of workplace-related injuries. According to a 2016 Australian report by AlphaBeta, there was a registered 11% reduction of workplace-related injuries because of automation in the manufacturing industry. This statistic globally has risen since many manufacturing companies have opted to implement automation services in their companies. Companies like tree logging companies can now access tree felling without the risk of injuries inflicted while workers fall trees (AlphaBeta, 2016). With a reduction in injuries, communities have been safer with a reduced mortality rate because of reduced work-related injuries.

Reduced work-related injuries have increased saving amongst employees. Employees in manufacturing, processing, or production industries can get back home safely without the risk of insurance coverage failing to pay for their medical expenses because of work-related injuries (AlphaBeta, 2016). Therefore, when people are safer, savings increase, leading up to investment in society that encourages more automation. Employees who have seen the benefit of increased savings through automation in workplaces will seek to develop skills and invest in areas where automation has been encouraged; therefore, the societal infrastructure will increase exponentially.

Through automation, health standards are increased in society. The main goal of automation is to increase productivity while reducing human interventions. Some industries deal with hazardous materials and chemical compounds that may be fatal or cause corrosion through diseases such as cancer and skin acid corrosiveness. The innovations in automation have helped reduce that risk in the workplace where machinery, for example, in laboratories incorporating robotics to mix dangerous and legal chemicals hazardous to employees (Harris, 2020). Ultimately, safety is guaranteed, and health standards for the society are raised, as the employees will not expose other members of the community to inhaled or cancerous components.

Lastly, automation has resulted in improved living standards, job creation, and economic growth. Through automation, job creation has been encouraged through the employment of IT-savvy employees. Such positions that may have increased jobs include data analysts’ consultants, artificial intelligence professionals, business development specialists, professionals in digital marketing strategies, and experts in software engineering and information security (Fitzpayne et al., 2019). According to a 2018 report by the McKinsey Global Institute, these new jobs are estimated to be around 97 million new jobs by 2025. Consequently, with new jobs created comes economic growth and improved living standards in society (McKinsey Global Institute, 2018). Ultimately, the incorporation of automation in society guarantees that everyone in society will benefit.

Limitations to Automation in the Workplace

One of the most recognizable negative effects of automation in workplaces is that there will be an increased reduction in jobs for people. According to a 2018 report by the McKinsey Global Institute, the report estimated that by 2025, the number of people globally to be put out of work because of workplace automation incorporation would be at 85 million. As much as the report suggests, an estimated 12 million increase in jobs also because of automation by 2025, those left without jobs and a source of livelihood will suffer trying to fit back into society (McKinsey Global Institute, 2018). Therefore, while other societies thrive, some people in society will suffer.

Secondly, increased automation in the workplace will lead to local economies disrupted and a rise in inequality. An increase in job displacement because of automation has resulted in some local economies benefiting others (Fitzpayne et al., 2019). Those who are left behind in the digitalization era have seen inequality gaps amongst people in society who have embraced (Vasilescu and Filzmoser, 2020). With the goal of overall societal growth, automation will widen the gap between social classes and increase the decline in local economies left behind as technological innovations are adopted.

Recommendation

As history accounts through the Industrial revolution, the digitalization era is here, and it is here to stay. Only by people in society embracing automation and artificial intelligence will they benefit from the larger society (Hauser, 2019). Manyika and Sneader (2018) explain that embracing automation will guarantee economic growth through job creation and increased societal prosperity. Therefore, those who oppose automation and technological advancements will suffer from their reluctance while society moves forward to continue into the digital era embracing and paving the way to more advancement in the future.

Conclusion

Although there are people in society, who fight against automation and its silent encroachment into workplaces; automation, and artificial intelligence has led to important benefits. Looking back to the start of the Industrial revolution, the Luddite movement fought for equality that; for as much as machines were involved in the revolutionizing of industries, the machines should have benefitted the entire society. Modern-day Luddism has led to innovations in technology, resulting in digitalization. Automation has led to the fast-paced growth in society through job creation, improved living standards, increased economic growth, reduced workplace injuries, and better employee savings. Therefore, only by embracing automation and artificial intelligence will the entire global society thrive and succeed collectively through the digital era that has brought with it automation.