Intellectual Assembly Lines: The Rationalization of Managerial, Professional, and Technical Work

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Abstract
This paper examines recent trends in computer technology in the context of the theoretical argument that intellectual labor is being subjected to the same processes of rationalization and control that affected manual labor during the industrial revolution. It is argued that expert systems and other products of knowledge engineering are being developed as mechanisms to rationalize and mechanize the mental labor of individuals in technical, professional, and managerial occupations. Because there are at present very few applications of "intelligent" software, empirical evidence of their effects is meager. However, debates about the impact of computerization on the labor process must take into account the theoretical potential for automating expert knowledge, professional judgment, and managerial decision-making.

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