Review by Choice Review
This book reflects a tremendous range of competence and ability on the part of Majchrzak (University of Southern California). She presents a superior and detailed review of the literature on human resource issues relevant to factory automation and provides a reasonably successful model applicable to a vast amount of the infinite variety of industrial experience. The work is organized in four parts: Understanding the Human Infrastructure in Factories; First-Order Effects: How Job Tasks Change; Second-Order Effects: Organizational Adaptions to Job Changes; and, Implementing Factory Automation Successfully. Approximately one quarter of the book is devoted to appendixes that contain a form for evolving an impact statement (Human Infrastructure Impact Statement Instrument), a glossary, and a selective bibliography of international scope. In the preface, the author relates her problem in writing a book with dual appeal to academics and managers, and, true to her background, adopts an academic tone. As such, the book has clear and valuable appeal to academics and students of automation, but its dense treatment will find less favor with practicing managers and engineers. E. Owens Western Washington University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
