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This is everywhere. We made everyone their own secretary but gave them crappy tools and no training. Also they’re never gonna be doing it more than very part-ti

This is everywhere. We made everyone their own secretary but gave them crappy tools and no training. Also they’re never gonna be doing it more than very part-time, so will always tend to be bad at it and find it a distraction from the work they’re actually good at. I’m skeptical computerization has even been a net benefit for productivity for most jobs, for that and other reasons. I think it’s been such a huge boost in a few areas that it looks productive overall, but actually it’s been a step back in most jobs. The high of eliminating positions and of centralized command-economy-style technocratic visibility into everything keeps management hooked on it anyway.

whatshisface 3y ago
It's all visibility and no observation.
- redsoundbanner 3y ago
  What is this from?
perilunar 3y ago
Yes, we should have given the computers to the secretaries and librarians (and a few other jobs), and kept them away from everyone else.
jackvalentine 3y ago
> We made everyone their own secretary but gave them crappy tools and no training. Also they’re never gonna be doing it more than very part-time, so will always tend to be bad at it and find it a distraction from the work they’re actually good at. This is, 100% exactly it. Then we have to design systems for the absolute lowest common denominator to get any semblance of sense from it and anyone with the slightest bit of clever just has to deal with it.
Stranger43 3y ago
The problem with the computerization brings benefit lines is that it was demonstratively true back in the mainframe days but became less and less so once the big beast with dedicated attendants and handlers got replaced by "not quite foolproof enough" wintel desktops managed by nobody. This is also why so few PC centric modernization process are truly successfull.
- pas 3y ago
  the successful part is usually when the whole thing gets swept away with something completely digital-based. the bad part is that usually there's a long transition period, the new thing sucks balls for anything except the basic functions, there's no human to talk to, etc.
acuozzo 3y ago
> We made everyone their own secretary Which is absurd when you consider just how many jobs are so-called "bullshit jobs".

whatshisface 3y ago

It's all visibility and no observation.

redsoundbanner 3y ago
What is this from?

perilunar 3y ago

Yes, we should have given the computers to the secretaries and librarians (and a few other jobs), and kept them away from everyone else.

jackvalentine 3y ago

> We made everyone their own secretary but gave them crappy tools and no training. Also they’re never gonna be doing it more than very part-time, so will always tend to be bad at it and find it a distraction from the work they’re actually good at. This is, 100% exactly it. Then we have to design systems for the absolute lowest common denominator to get any semblance of sense from it and anyone with the slightest bit of clever just has to deal with it.

Stranger43 3y ago

The problem with the computerization brings benefit lines is that it was demonstratively true back in the mainframe days but became less and less so once the big beast with dedicated attendants and handlers got replaced by "not quite foolproof enough" wintel desktops managed by nobody. This is also why so few PC centric modernization process are truly successfull.

pas 3y ago
the successful part is usually when the whole thing gets swept away with something completely digital-based. the bad part is that usually there's a long transition period, the new thing sucks balls for anything except the basic functions, there's no human to talk to, etc.

acuozzo 3y ago

> We made everyone their own secretary Which is absurd when you consider just how many jobs are so-called "bullshit jobs".