In chapter two, a considerable discussion was presented with respect to the ideas of technological determinism, the social construction of technologies, and the interplay between human subjects and material technologies. Perspectives on the relationships between people and technology are almost as numerous as technologies themselves but it is nonetheless important to revisit these perspectives, particularly in light of the research findings. The technologies in place in different work environments have varying effects on workers but, overall, technologies in the baking industry are deskilling workers. In the Co-op bakery, the machine technologies serve mainly to increase the productive capacity of the small number of workers. However, the technologies embedded in the mixes and bases used by the bakers erode their knowledge. While the continued introduction of
these technologies is not necessarily in the interest of the bakers, it is also outside their decision-making realm. They have no control over the process of technological adoption.
The automated technologies in the industrial baking facilities serve to minimize the interactions of workers with the bread making process. Their occupations present little opportunity for advancement, and do not offer the chance to gain any specialized knowledge about bread making.
Both equipment and black-box technologies play a role in the deskilling process, and the introduction of new technology frequently leads to further technological
innovation. For example, industrial facility A is much older than facility B, and the differences are obvious. The introduction of the Mecatherm in facility B serves to remove even more individuals from the actual bread making process. The machine turns making bread into a completely self-contained process. In facility A, workers were stationed along the line to monitor the progress of the bread before and after proofing, but in facility B as soon as the mix was delivered to the hopper there were no employees on the line until the bread was packaged. The original concept of an automated bread line continues to evolve, and as it does the process requires fewer workers. Also, with the introduction of the Mecatherm, and the flash frozen breads it produces, the need for relatively skilled workers at in-store bakeries decreases.
The cycle of technological change in the baking industry is a good illustration of the concept of material agency (Pickering, 1993). The technologies themselves affect the way we do things in the social world. In the case of the bread industry, the continued introduction of new technologies alters our concepts of making bread; a once manual process performed by skilled bakers is being reconstituted as a mechanized process.
Interestingly, the development of frozen products is being marketed as a means of reconnecting the consumer with bread-making as the consumer can buy frozen loaves to bake at home. But the choice of bringing home a partially frozen loaf does nothing to preserve our bread culture or reskill home bakers. Heating the bread for the final ten minutes does not translate into knowledge of bread making.
While the findings present evidence for material agency, it is important not to overemphasize the role of technologies in the deskilling process. Though it is true that the machines and technologies that are put in place result in deskilling of workers, and that machines and formulated inputs can alter both work practices and the social world, the technologies do not create and install themselves in the workplace (at least not yet). The decision to introduce a technology is a social one. In the case of the Co-op bakery, it is the decision makers at FCL who ultimately decide on the products offered and how and where they are made. The bakers did not choose to stop making pastries and other fancy products; FCL made the decision as a means of improving the efficiency, productivity and profitability of the bakery. Also striking in this regard is the decision of FCL not to include in-store bakeries when they developed their newer Calgary stores. A continued push towards fewer products prepared in-store, and toward simplified in-store production methods, will have drastic implications for the bakers working in Saskatoon Co-ops.
They are likely to experience further deskilling. Human agency is more important in the deskilling process than any form of purely material agency. The decision to automate and to introduce technologies is a product of individuals whose commitment is not
necessarily to workers but to efficiency and, more importantly, to labour productivity and profit.
Some may argue that technologies have agency in the push towards efficiency and profitability, as they become key actors in the market environment. As discussed earlier, Schilling argues that “where an entrenched dominant standard exists, or where an industry is in the process of selecting a dominant standard, firms may be at risk of being locked out of the market” if they do not conform to the industry standard (1998: 267) Thus, given that industrial facility B has introduced the Mecatherm, others may find it necessary to follow suit. The Mecatherm greatly increases the potential market for their breads. The freezing technology allows them to ship bread across North America, where others must rely on regional markets for their products. Industrial facility B might be able to market their frozen breads as a means of presenting ‘fresher’ bread to consumers.
These changes are more commonplace in a radically changing food industry. Having a large productive capacity and the ability to ship over greater distances plays into the increasingly dominant paradigm of large national and regional grocery chains that demand large volumes of a uniform product. However, the decision to consolidate grocery stores, which forces bread suppliers to produce more volume with greater uniformity, is also not one based on material agency. The decision to consolidate in the retail grocery sector is the result of a drive towards increased market power, efficiencies, and profitability. These are decisions made by human actors based on capitalist
objectives. We should understand that it is not the technology itself, but rather human decision-makers who are the most integral agents of deskilling.