Robert Theobald: "Mind-Quake"
A Mind-Quake is a concept which means a certain point in the process of change where the old model and old understanding lose their meaning and a new one must be obtained or constructed. It means the skill to cut and divide the major quakes into smaller ones which are easier to handle.
At first when you think of Theobald´s theory you might think of the different theories of education. Well, behaviorism isn´t all gone, but when combining it to constructivism the idea is totally different. Learning just isn´t a stimulus-reaction, there is always some relation to old information. And in constructivism you actually puzzle up your knowledge.
But where this theory of Theobald works more precise.. If you think of the large scale, some basics has changed in the society as a whole. Today´s world is fully colored with one word: hurry. And everything has to be efficient. It hasn´t always been like this. Just ask your parents. Also in olden times you always got service, today the trend is more to self-service. This means a total change in thinking. For example when you check-in to a flight: you have to use a machine alone, no more smiling receptionist taking your papers (OK this is optional still, which must be a relief to older people).
And this change of society works even in childcare: some things which were seen as good things a few decades ago are nowadays seen almost dangerous. This is easily seen when you ask your mom or grandmother to watch your child a few hours.. The collision is guaranteed..
And even when thinking of the ways of correspondence, there has been a long road from homing pigeons to emails, SMS and instant messages like Messenger. The model has changed quite hugely in every step. The latest change has recently become common and usual -but there are still some people who don´t want (or can or like) to use emails or SMS (for example my mother). But what a thrill it is to receive a letter or a postcard nowadays! When I was basic school it was quite common to have many pen pals, I wonder does the children of today have any? And when have you received a letter last time? I think I got one about a year ago.. And before that I can´t even remember. It´s a shame in a way that this is so rare, maybe letters and postcards come back in fashion some day.
Charles Handy: The Paradox of Time
The application of modem technology means less time is needed to make and do things. People should have more spare time. But time has become a competitive weapon and getting things done quickly is imperative. As a result, many of those who work have less time that ever before.
Well, I think quite many people can see this happening. It is so easy to get a certain picture or phrase or what ever from the other side of the world. You can quickly collect for example logos of the company´s in IT-business, create a birthday-card or send greetings to your aunt. Without going to a store and buying a magazine and cutting the logos from it, without buying and writing your card and handing it to the receiver or without the effort of writing with a pencil and then taking it to a post. Where goes all this spare time since you don´t have to leave your home? You do another task since it is done so quickly. You send greetings to ten people instead of one. It is so quick and easy.
This applies perfectly in technical support in companies. Well at least to the one in our company. Without modems their work was more related to client´s phone calls and doing some logs of what was done. With modem technology they can take remote control the client´s computer and solve almost any kind of problem without leaving their desk. Sounds like the job is done about ten times faster than before? Probably yes. There must be a lot of spare time? Noup. And this goes closely to the paradox of productivity. Since one client is helped so quickly there is no need to have so many support personnel. And even if there were the same amount of workers than before, seems like the client´s contact more easily and also with just minor problems and instantly, without even trying themselves before.
So, all the time is always spent. Spare time? People tend to think that the certain amount of time is needed to use in precise tasks, it feels weird to have more time to do nothing than before.
Manuel Castells: Changes in Work and Employment
Emergence of flexi-workers (working without fixed time, place, or regulations); new methods allow more flexible approaches, but also produce more stress and discontent; the share of temporary and telework increases.
In my latest workplace there has never been precise times when to go to work and in certain frame you can choose how long you work in each day, just the hours per month have to be enough. We have a slide in the morning, from 7-10am when it´s recommended to show up. Usually most of people manage to apply this but it´s not rare that some people show up around eleven. I think this is quite common in Finland, especially in IT-sector.
The direction really has been away from office working towards flexibility; this kind of flexibility belongs to this time of ours, everything is more or less in electronic form, so no time is needed to "move the papers around".
My employer has offered me the possibility to work from home some days a week when I return from my maternity leave. I can manage and tutor some web courses. How great is that! Really flexible, all thanks to Internet connection. The stress this creates is how to really find and maintain a reasonable schedule. To really do the reasonable amount of hours a day, not to do all the week´s work at once.. To know when to stop, how much to do to get the work done needed in that precise week or month. And of course it feels more important to prove my employer what I do. That they can rely on me, I do what is wanted. (And a bit more.. Since I´m a perfectionist..)
Discontent? Maybe those who don´t have this opportunity of flexibility feel left out, when thinking of a work community. But when thinking of a worker, the discontent comes from the temporary and short periods of employment. The amount of temporary workers has been increasing a long time, I don´t think it´s straight related to flexi-work.
