Technological Change

3Technological Change and Organization

The organizational level (meso-level) is important for understanding the dynamics of technological change, especially as technology plays an increasingly important role in organizations (section 3.1). In addition, there are many interdependencies between organizations and technologies, as shown by the work of some historians (section 3.2). On the one hand, organizations can participate in technological change, for example, by contributing to the R&D effort through private research laboratories or through partnerships with public laboratories. In some areas, such as chemistry or, more recently, mobile telephony or artificial intelligence, companies have proven to be the driving force behind technological change. On the other hand, technology can also influence companies, for example, by introducing tools that promote new organizational forms. Therefore, within the organization, a major question, raised by history, sociology and philosophy, concerns the link between technology and workers’ autonomy (or conversely their control) (section 3.3). Many technologies carry a form of ambivalence and can become instruments of empowerment or, on the contrary, control of workers, depending on how they are used. Finally, this implies that any technological change also implies a process of social change (section 3.4): support for employees when jobs change or even disappear, change management, in particular.

3.1. Omnipresence of the technical object ...