- Institute of Technology Assessment and System Analysis - ITAS
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology - KIT
76344 Eggenstein
Germany
- Work and Occupations, Innovation statistics, Sociology of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Industrial Organization, Flexible Manufacturing, Science, Technology and Society, and 42 moreTechnology Management, Industrial Sociology, Social Construction of Technology, Sociology Of Technology (Science And Technology Studies), Information Society, Critical Thinking, Technology Assessment, Forecasting, Sociology Of Scientific Knowledge, Sociology of Science, Sociology of Work, Science Policy, Sociology, Autonomous Robotics, Industrial Robots, Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators, Automotive Industry, Portugal, Use of Technology, Foresight, Futures Studies and Foresight, Parliamentary Studies, Scenario planning, Future Studies, Sociology of Organizations, (Multi-) Agent Technology, Advanced Manufacturing, Robotics, Social Network Analysis (Social Sciences), Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), Health Technology Assessment, Technological Innovation, Human-Robot Interaction, Automation, Strategic Foresight, Knowledge Society, Qualitative Methods, Medical Robotics, Risk assessment, Nanorobotics, Micromanufacturing, and Käte Meyer-Draweedit
- Coordinator of the PhD Programme on "Technology Assessment" at Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia (Universidade Nova ... moreCoordinator of the PhD Programme on "Technology Assessment" at Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia (Universidade Nova de Lisboa-UNL).
Sociologist, specialized in the Labour and Organizations domain (ISCTE, 1980), Sociology Assistant in Universidade dos Açores (1980-83) and in Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia (UNL) from 1983 to 1992.
Is Researcher at ITAS-Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, and also Associate Professor (since 1999) of Industrial Sociology at Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia (UNL), (was Assistant Professor from 1992 to 1999). Was "Gastwissenschaftler" at the ITAS-Institute of Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis from Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe during 2007-08, and at the Fraunhofer Institut für Systemtechnik und Innovationsforschung (ISI-FhG), from 2002 to 2004. Was "Visiting Researcher" at the Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island (1999).
He is an executive elected member of the Research Committees RC23 on Sociology of Science and Technology (2014-18), and RC30 Sociology of Work (1998-2002) of ISA-International Sociological Association. Was also Portuguese representative in the Steering Committee of "European Social Survey" organized by European Science Foundation (Strasbourg, France), from 1997 to 2001. From 2006 is the Portuguese member at TC9 of International Federation of Information Processing - IFIP.
Participated in evaluation activities regarding the Programs EUREKA, BRITE, COMETT, SPRINT, ESPRIT, FAST, VALUE, TSER, ADAPT Initiative (European Commission), “EUROCORES Programme for European Collaborative Research Projects” and "“Research Networking Programmes” both at the European Science Foundation .edit
Approaching the topic of robotics-work relation in a general and international context enables the possibility to know more about the impacts in different sectors. In this book the main discussion themes are followed in order to... more
Approaching the topic of robotics-work relation in a general and international context enables the possibility to know more about the impacts in different sectors. In this book the main discussion themes are followed in order to understand which the main dimensions are included in such debate. In that way, it becomes possible to understand the possible answers and available alternatives. The book follows the themes of relation between employment and technology, the automation as rationalization process and robotics as a technology reference. The other topics are the emergence of ethical, legal and social aspects of this technology, the development that can be perceived in the case of Portugal, and the conclusions about the limits and perspectives of new robotic developments. This edition has empirical information on the Portuguese case and also includes data from the main resources of the global debate on this issue: the new developments of automation and its relation with the work content and employment. The author underlined the importance of the contribute that he got from the discussions at the ITAS Working Group on Robotics Technology Assessment, and at the ITAS Research Group on Technology and Work, in Germany, and at the Observatory of Technology Assessment at CICS.NOVA in Portugal. The book is include in a series supported by the Portuguese-American Foundation for Development (FLAD) and was published by Glaciar.
Research Interests:
The goal of technology assessment (TA) is to lend support to society and policy making by promoting understanding of the problems related to the grand socio-technical challenges of our time, as well as to assess the available options for... more
The goal of technology assessment (TA) is to lend support to society and policy making by promoting understanding of the problems related to the grand socio-technical challenges of our time, as well as to assess the available options for managing them. Researchers from Japan and Europe reflected together in this book on country-specific developments to identify the conditions that must be present to anchor TA in science, politics, and society. This book helps us to learn about different cultures.
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Futures of employment in the information society
Published by DGEFP, Ministry of Labor, 2002
Published by DGEFP, Ministry of Labor, 2002
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Information society and employment
Published by DGEFP, Ministry of Labor, 2001
Published by DGEFP, Ministry of Labor, 2001
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Innovation and (con)traditions in the moulding industry sector
Published by CEFAMOL, Marinha Grande, 2000
Published by CEFAMOL, Marinha Grande, 2000
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Fisheries and fisherfolk: Futures for employment and resources
Published by Celta Editora, Oeiras, 2000
Published by Celta Editora, Oeiras, 2000
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R&D, Innovation and Employment Promotion
published by the Observatório do Emprego e Formação Profissional, Lisboa, 2000
published by the Observatório do Emprego e Formação Profissional, Lisboa, 2000
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Power and discourse in the daily press of Azores
Published by Instituto Cultural de Ponta Delgada, 2000
Published by Instituto Cultural de Ponta Delgada, 2000
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The main topics in this thematic report are based on the hypotheses on the nature of work in the knowledge-based society how it is described in the theoretical framework of the WORKS project (Huws, 2006). The objective of the report is to... more
The main topics in this thematic report are based on the hypotheses on the nature of work in the knowledge-based society how it is described in the theoretical framework of the WORKS project (Huws, 2006). The objective of the report is to develop some conceptual approaches for a methodology of scenario building and construction processes of the scenarios in order to provide some ideas about the future of work in European countries.
Thus, this study is presenting information that is taken from other foresight experiments and its methodological features. The main needs for a scenario structure are provided in the explanation of four steps in order to develop such a process. The first step establishes a model on the changing structures of work in the knowledge-based society and a set of dimensions related with the central WORKS theoretical framework with the key variables and indicators that allows to find the information to be developed in step 3 (drivers of change). The second step provides the information about these dimensions in the theoretical analyses and complements it with data from the quantitative and qualitative pillars. It also could identify the main components as well as the variables more important to understand the changes, observing and defining the relations between them and clarify the trends. In the final step, one should define a set of periods for scenarios, and establish a set of possible scenarios of the different ways work organisation might evolve into different models of a knowledge-based society. Some examples are presented.
Thus, this study is presenting information that is taken from other foresight experiments and its methodological features. The main needs for a scenario structure are provided in the explanation of four steps in order to develop such a process. The first step establishes a model on the changing structures of work in the knowledge-based society and a set of dimensions related with the central WORKS theoretical framework with the key variables and indicators that allows to find the information to be developed in step 3 (drivers of change). The second step provides the information about these dimensions in the theoretical analyses and complements it with data from the quantitative and qualitative pillars. It also could identify the main components as well as the variables more important to understand the changes, observing and defining the relations between them and clarify the trends. In the final step, one should define a set of periods for scenarios, and establish a set of possible scenarios of the different ways work organisation might evolve into different models of a knowledge-based society. Some examples are presented.
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1 Detailed information about summarised trends and features 5 1.1 Organisational and employment structures – B 5 1.2 Work patterns and terms of employment – C 18 1.3 Quality of life – D 29 1.4 Policy of working life – E 38 2 Analyses of... more
1 Detailed information about summarised trends and features 5
1.1 Organisational and employment structures – B 5
1.2 Work patterns and terms of employment – C 18
1.3 Quality of life – D 29
1.4 Policy of working life – E 38
2 Analyses of case studies 49
2.1 Introduction 49
2.2 Occupational studies; synthesis report 49
2.3 Design in clothing 50
2.4 R&D in ICT 52
2.5 Production in clothing 57
2.6 Production in Food 60
1.1 Organisational and employment structures – B 5
1.2 Work patterns and terms of employment – C 18
1.3 Quality of life – D 29
1.4 Policy of working life – E 38
2 Analyses of case studies 49
2.1 Introduction 49
2.2 Occupational studies; synthesis report 49
2.3 Design in clothing 50
2.4 R&D in ICT 52
2.5 Production in clothing 57
2.6 Production in Food 60
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The last decades have shown an increasing amount of research into expectations of science and technology. Especially for emerging technologies, expectations held by different stakeholder are guiding the direction of research and... more
The last decades have shown an increasing amount of research into expectations of science and technology. Especially for emerging technologies, expectations held by different stakeholder are guiding the direction of research and development. In this article the results of an investigation into the expectations of specific actors regarding the development of emerging battery technology for applications in the power grid are presented. It is set up as an explorative study within the framework of Constructive Technology Assessment (CTA). A number of studies since the 1990s have indicated a growing need for energy storage options in the power grid, where batteries appear to be capable of providing a range of valuable services to the grid. Cost-effectiveness on a large scale will however require considerable technical improvements. The configuration of energy storage may differ in the specific location and exploitation of the storage assets, as well as in the investments in new storage capacity. In this study the visions and expectations of several relevant actors are analysed using interviews and surveys in terms of expectations of technological development, expectations concerning stakeholder roles, and channels of interaction between the relevant actors. The results indicate a divide in expectations between the user side of the technology (the electric power industry) and the development side (academic researchers). Opinions differ with respect to the obstacles to technological development, the actors relevant in early technological development, and the most suitable channels for interaction between these actors. It follows from the theoretical background that conflicts in expectations provide the opportunity for the acceleration of technological development and adoption through stakeholder participation. Small interactive workshops, where conflicts identified in this paper are discussed, were identified as a suitable channel in order to reach consensus in visions and expectations for battery technology.
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The focus of the following article is on the use of new robotic systems in the manufacturing industry with respect to the social dimension. Since “intuitive” human–machine interaction (HMI) in robotic systems becomes a significant... more
The focus of the following article is on the use of new robotic systems in the manufacturing industry with respect to the social dimension. Since “intuitive” human–machine interaction (HMI) in robotic systems becomes a significant objective of technical progress, new models of work organization are needed. This hypothesis will be investigated through the following two aims: The first aim is to identify relevant research questions related to the potential use of robotic systems in different systems of work organization at the manufacturing shop-floor level. The second aim is to discuss the conceptualization of (old) organizational problems of human–robot interaction (HRI). In this context, the article reflects on the limits of cognitive and perceptual workload for robot operators in complex working systems. This will be particularly relevant whenever more robots with different “roles” are to be increasingly used in the manufacturing industry. The integration of such complex socio-technical systems needs further empirical and conceptual research with regard to “social” aspects of the technical dimension. Future research should, therefore, also integrate economic and societal issues to understand the full dimensions of new human–robot interaction in industry today.
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DIVEST – DESINVESTIMENTO E IMPACTOS ECONÓMICOS, SOCIAIS E TERRITORIAIS (Projecto POCTI/ GEO /34037/2000)
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It is the year 2005 and the Managing Director of Biomat has a problem. Her spin-off firm builds replacement human organs using metagenic technology, but after two years of success Biomat is at a crossroads. Should it stick to metagenics,... more
It is the year 2005 and the Managing Director of Biomat has a problem. Her spin-off firm builds replacement human organs using metagenic technology, but after two years of success Biomat is at a crossroads. Should it stick to metagenics, which is costly and prone to production ...
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At the beginning of the 21st century there are new expectations and challenges to-wards Technology Assessment (TA). Among these there is a new awareness on TA issues in education, in particular at uni-versities. While TA was mainly an... more
At the beginning of the 21st century there are new expectations and challenges to-wards Technology Assessment (TA). Among these there is a new awareness on TA issues in education, in particular at uni-versities. While TA was mainly an activity at extra-universitarian research ...
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Industrial, service and social robots are foreseen to become significant “partners” or “co-workers” (Krüger and Surdilovic, 2008; Krüger, Schreck and Surdilovic, 2011; Kim and Mutlu, 2014) [1–3] in human working environments. The... more
Industrial, service and social robots are foreseen to become significant “partners” or “co-workers” (Krüger and Surdilovic, 2008; Krüger, Schreck and Surdilovic, 2011; Kim and Mutlu, 2014) [1–3] in human working environments. The increasing expectation of implementing robots in manifold working processes is expressed not only by public debates but also by the orientation of national and international policy strategies (Ebel, 1987; Hägele, Schaaf and Helms, 2002; Krüger, Lien and Verl, 2009) [4–6]. We invite theoretical and empirical papers and case studies that critically engage with the areas of human-robot interaction in work environments and the impact of robots on the work environment. Within the area of human-robot interaction in work environments (whether human worker-robot worker or human client-robot worker, or human worker-robot client), potential areas of engagement can concern, as examples, how industrial, service, and social robots are represented by engineering sciences and social sciences; the idea of a sustainable concept of “work”; how the application of robots is changing the character of work in specific fields; new developments and impacts of automation; the impacts on complex working systems; the anthropocentric dimension of human-machine interfaces; and long-term perspectives of organizational, social, and ethical implications.
Prof. Dr. António B. Moniz
Dr. Bettina-Johanna Krings
Guest Editors
Prof. Dr. António B. Moniz
Dr. Bettina-Johanna Krings
Guest Editors
Research Interests:
The social dimension of worker–robot interaction in industry is becoming a decisive aspect of robotics development. Many problems and difficulties of robotics research are not only related to technical issues but are framed by social... more
The social dimension of worker–robot interaction in industry is becoming a decisive aspect of robotics development. Many problems and difficulties of robotics research are not only related to technical issues but are framed by social aspects. Human–robot interaction (HRI) as a specific research field of robotics tackles this issue of intuition. One of the aims is to identify relevant research questions about the possibility of the development of safer robot systems in closer human–machine intuitive interaction systems at the manufacturing shop floor level. This chapter will contribute to understanding the cognitive and perceptual workload for robot operators in complex working systems. The importance of robotics in work life is not only to decrease the physical strains in manufacturing, but also it can increase the need for situation awareness and risk assessment which implies higher perceptual workload and psychological strains.
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If the question is whether there is a parliamentary technology assessment (PTA) unit in Portugal or Spain, the clear answer is that there is still no such unit at the central state level at the present time, neither in Portugal nor in... more
If the question is whether there is a parliamentary technology assessment (PTA) unit in Portugal or Spain, the clear answer is that there is still no such unit at the central state level at the present time, neither in Portugal nor in Spain. The question then has to be modified addressing previous and current efforts to establish PTA and the current framework conditions and opportunities. Practices of PTA are framed here as a democratic innovation in the context of changes in representative democracies. Against this backdrop, the efforts and opportunities to establish PTA in Spain and Portugal are studied. By sketching these developments and outlining the opportunities in these countries, our aim is to contribute to the debate about the likelihood of a new wave of PTA in Europe.
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In this paper, the social aspects related to new concepts on the complex work environments (CWE) will be analysed, especially those that configure the design of work organisation systems with automated equipment. In such environments, the... more
In this paper, the social aspects related to new concepts on the complex work environments (CWE) will be analysed, especially those that configure the design of work organisation systems with automated equipment. In such environments, the work with autonomous systems (AS) represents specific options in the design of workplaces. This means that human resources management (HRM) is becoming more decisive for a successful design of a complex and automated system. Traditionally, it was thought that automation would replace operational work and the importance of the dimension of human resource would become less decisive for management option. Most recent studies are demonstrating total different conclusions. We intend to present here some of those results. Another topic covered by this article is the relation of humans with computers in their working environment. That means the role of agents in the human–computer interaction (HCI) (robots, human operators, other automated machinery, sensors) and the implications in the management of human resources. The technology development represents also a challenge for managerial options.
The social dimension of worker-robot interaction in industry is becoming a decisive aspect of robotics development. Many problems and difficulties of robotics research are not only related to technical issues but framed by social aspects.... more
The social dimension of worker-robot interaction in industry is becoming a decisive aspect of robotics development. Many problems and difficulties of robotics research are not only related to technical issues but framed by social aspects. Human-robot interaction (HRI) as a specific research field of robotics tackles this issue. The debate on social involvement in HRI design of a few decades ago must be re-opened. A start-up project was initiated in 2012 at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) to define a new research field and establish a conceptual framework on HRI. It was related to recent developments in the manufacturing industry and professional service robotics. The aim was to cooperate with other research teams to establish an expert network in this field. Special focus was placed on the design of work organisation models and issues of robotics technology design for worker (or operator) and robot interaction. In the current paper we present the most important conclusions from these research activities.
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Technology Assessment (TA) considers the knowledge on (possible ou probable) technological effects in the processes of decision making and exploring potencial technological risks with secondary effects. Besides that, it is a scientific... more
Technology Assessment (TA) considers the knowledge on (possible ou probable) technological effects in the processes of decision making and exploring potencial technological risks with secondary effects. Besides that, it is a scientific process with the aim of contributing the public and political opinion formation relative to social aspects of science and technology. That formation is done in an interactive and communicational mode. It overtakes the legitimacy and technology conflicts problems. TA is dealing with a political process either it is related with a parliamentary level decision on the introduction or limitation of new technologies, or at the level of participative processes of entities interested in the labour sphere. In this study, it is concluded that the TA processes at the level of organization of work can aim to fulfill higher levels of productivity and performance of installed equipment, or even to increase the quality of the product or the production process. That does not mean necessarily increases in income of workers and employees. That is why the participation of these actors is also so fundamental to this process.
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"We are facing an era, where pressures on health costs are extremely high, and the reforms in health system are almost constant. But over time, one factor remains unchanged – Technology continues being the sustenance of health care.... more
"We are facing an era, where pressures on health costs are extremely high, and the reforms in health system are almost constant. But over time, one factor remains unchanged – Technology continues being the sustenance of health care. Manufacturers, clinicians, patients, diagnostic and therapeutic technicians, hospital managers, government leaders, among others, either in public or private sector, are increasingly demanding in the sustained seek for information that support its decisions. Those decisions are about different types of issues: if, or how the technology can be developed, whether a technology should or should not enter the market, whether to acquire and use certain technology, and so forth. Such demand is well implied in the growth and development of Health Technology Assessment (HTA). This specialised field is commonly understood according to the International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment (INAHTA, 2003) as an multidisciplinary analysis and decisional field, which studies the implications of clinical, social, ethical and economic development, dissemination and use of health technologies, without neglecting its political analysis (Goodman, 2004). The political decisions made based on HTA reports should be based on scientific evidence, linking efforts between the technical, economic and political dimensions, resourcing to a participatory vision, so that we can translate the best possible decision (Novaes 2006). On the other hand, the success of these decisions depends critically on the skills of the researcher to convey wisdom and confidence in applying rules of argumentation (Grunwald, 2007). In this paper we analyse the technical and methodological aspects of HTA, seen as a tool for evaluating health procedures and techniques. And we analyse the needs for skills and qualifications development of the actors involved in this process.
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Research activities at European level on the concept of new working environments offers considerable attention to the challenges of the increased competencies of people working together with automated technologies. Since the decade of... more
Research activities at European level on the concept of new working environments offers considerable attention to the challenges of the increased competencies of people working together with automated technologies. Since the decade of 1980 the development of approaches for the humanization of work organization, and for the development of participative organizational options induced to new proposals related to the development of complex and integrated automated systems. From such parallel conceptual development emerged the concept of “anthropocentric robotic systems” and quickly it covered also other fields of automation. More recently, the debate also covers issues related to working perception of people dealing with autonomous systems (e.g. Autonomous robotics) in tasks related to production planning, to programming and to process control. In fact, today one can understand the wider use of the anthropocentrism concept of production architectures, when understanding the new quality of these systems. In this chapter the author analyses the evolution of these issues related to governance of ICT applied to manufacturing and industrial services in research programmes strengthening very much the ‘classical’ concept of anthropocentric-based systems. It is emerging a new value of the intuitive capacities and human knowledge in the optimization and flexibilization of the manufacturing processes. While this would be a pre-condition to understand the human-robot communication needs, there is also a need to take into consideration the qualitative variables in the definition and design of robotic systems, jobs and production systems.
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The majority of papers published in the last decades on European Union policy strongly stress the importance of the so-called Lisbon Strategy approved in the year 2000. The same applies to studies and reports on the shift of the European... more
The majority of papers published in the last decades on European Union policy strongly stress the importance of the so-called Lisbon Strategy approved in the year 2000. The same applies to studies and reports on the shift of the European countries towards modernisation and restructuring policy in recent years. This EU development strategy defines a new direction for the coordination of national policies. But why has it become so important? One of the reasons is the fact that many of the papers are based on the concept of “knowledge society” as the key driver for an increased competitiveness of all political and economic regions of Europe. In this context, the term “knowledge” means the inter-linkage of education (including training, qualification, skills) and innovation (including research, information and communication). The use of the concept represents an important shift in the European strategy: further development would not only be based on investment in material infrastructures, but also more on the immaterial ground. However, this Lisbon Strategy was criticised by many politicians and opinion-makers in the first years of this century because the European structures were not prepared for such a quick change. At the same time, the focus for investment moved away from the traditional support of industrial sectors (manufacturing, agriculture and fisheries, construction) towards the “new economy” sectors. The vision of a knowledge society remained appealing also in a changing international context: the Middle East wars (Afghanistan, Iraq and Israel-Palestine) and the fast growth of the Chinese economy. However, the shadows of new recessions have strongly questioned the options made by the European Council. New challenges have emerged with the need to redefine collective strategies in terms of European development as set by the Lisbon strategy. “Europe 2020” is one more attempt to define a new strategy. But at present no clear path has been identified. Whether the programme will bring about progress for the European economies, or is again an illusion, is not yet clear. This shows, however, that new paths and common strategies are still needed in Europe.
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"In this paper will be discussed different types of scenarios and the aims for using scenarios. Normaly they are being used by organisations due to the need to anticipate processes, to support policy-making and to understand the... more
"In this paper will be discussed different types of scenarios and the aims for using scenarios. Normaly they are being used by organisations due to the need to anticipate processes, to support policy-making and to understand the complexities of relations. Such organisations can be private companies, R&D organisations and networks of organisations, or even by some public administration institutions.
Some cases will be discussed as the methods for ongoing scenario-building process (Shell Internacional). Scenarios should anticipate possible relations among social actors as in the Triple Helix Model, and is possible to develop strategic intelligence in the innovation process that would enable the construction of scenarios. Such processes can be assessed. The focus will be made in relation to the steps chosen for the WORKS scenarios. In this case is there a model of work changes that can be used for foresight?
Differences according to sectors were found, as well on other dimensions. Problems of assessment are analysed with specific application to the scenario construction methods."
Some cases will be discussed as the methods for ongoing scenario-building process (Shell Internacional). Scenarios should anticipate possible relations among social actors as in the Triple Helix Model, and is possible to develop strategic intelligence in the innovation process that would enable the construction of scenarios. Such processes can be assessed. The focus will be made in relation to the steps chosen for the WORKS scenarios. In this case is there a model of work changes that can be used for foresight?
Differences according to sectors were found, as well on other dimensions. Problems of assessment are analysed with specific application to the scenario construction methods."
Research Interests:
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At the last National Conference of Industrial Sociology in Portugal (in March 1999) was presented a paper on the topic of “foresight as a technology and employment policy instrument” (A.B. Moniz) where there was a reference to the need of... more
At the last National Conference of Industrial Sociology in Portugal (in March 1999) was presented a paper on the topic of “foresight as a technology and employment policy instrument” (A.B. Moniz) where there was a reference to the need of development of this kind of tools and instruments. This need is clear when one should neutralize the negative effects of
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ABSTRACT The 2nd International Conference on "Foresight Studies on Work in the Knowledge Society" was organised by IET, the Research Centre on Enterprise and Work Innovation, at the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of... more
ABSTRACT The 2nd International Conference on "Foresight Studies on Work in the Knowledge Society" was organised by IET, the Research Centre on Enterprise and Work Innovation, at the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of "Universidade Nova de Lisboa" (FCT-UNL), and took place on January 26 and 27 of 2009 with the support of the European project WORKS-Work Organisation Re-structuring in the Knowledge Society (financed by the European Commission, and co-ordinated by HIVA Leuven)
Downloadable! The WORKS Project started two years ago (2005), involving the efforts of research institutes of 13 European countries with the main purpose of improving the understanding of the major changes in work in the knowledge-based... more
Downloadable! The WORKS Project started two years ago (2005), involving the efforts of research institutes of 13 European countries with the main purpose of improving the understanding of the major changes in work in the knowledge-based society, taking account both of global ...
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The project started in 2009 with the support of DAAD in Germany and CRUP in Portugal under the “Collaborative German-Portuguese University Actions” programme. One central goal is the further development of a theory of technology... more
The project started in 2009 with the support of DAAD in Germany and CRUP in Portugal under the “Collaborative German-Portuguese University Actions” programme. One central goal is the further development of a theory of technology assessment applied to robotics and autonomous systems in general that reflects in its methodology the changing conditions of knowledge production in modern societies and the emergence of new robotic technologies and of associated disruptive changes. Relevant topics here are handling broadened future horizons and new clusters of science and technology (medicine, engineering, interfaces, industrial automation, micro-devices, security and safety), as well as new governance structures in policy decision making concerning research and development (R&D).
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... The 1st ISA Forum of Sociology on the Sociological Research and Public Debate Margarida Ramires Paulos (margarida.paulos@fct.unl.pt) and António Brandão Moniz (abm@fct.unl.pt), IET, Faculty of Science and Technology (FCT),... more
... The 1st ISA Forum of Sociology on the Sociological Research and Public Debate Margarida Ramires Paulos (margarida.paulos@fct.unl.pt) and António Brandão Moniz (abm@fct.unl.pt), IET, Faculty of Science and Technology (FCT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL) ...
The project started in 2009 with the support of DAAD in Germany and CRUP in Portugal under the “Collaborative German-Portuguese University Actions” programme. One central goal is the further development of a theory of technology... more
The project started in 2009 with the support of DAAD in Germany and CRUP in Portugal under the “Collaborative German-Portuguese University Actions” programme. One central goal is the further development of a theory of technology assessment applied to robotics and autonomous systems in general that reflects in its methodology the changing conditions of knowledge production in modern societies and the emergence of new robotic technologies and of associated disruptive changes. Relevant topics here are handling broadened future horizons and new clusters of science and technology (medicine, engineering, interfaces, industrial automation, micro-devices, security and safety), as well as new governance structures in policy decision making concerning research and development (R&D).
Research Interests:
With the emergence of a global division of labour, the internationalisation of markets and cultures, the growing power of supranational organisations and the spread of new information technologies to every field of life, it starts to... more
With the emergence of a global division of labour, the internationalisation of markets and cultures, the growing power of supranational organisations and the spread of new information technologies to every field of life, it starts to appear a different kind of society, different from the industrial society, and called by many as ‘the knowledge-based economy’, emphasizing the importance of information and knowledge in many areas of work and organisation of societies. Despite the common trends of evolution, these transformations do not necessarily produce a convergence of national and regional social and economic structures, but a diversity of realities emerging from the relations between economic and political context on one hand and the companies and their strategies on the other. In this sense, which future can we expect to the knowledge economy? How can we measure it and why is it important? This paper will present some results from the European project WORKS – Work organisation and restructuring in the knowledge society (6th Framework Programme), focusing the future visions and possible future trends in different countries, sectors and industries, given empirical evidences of the case studies applied in several European countries, underling the importance of foresight exercises to design policies, prevent uncontrolled risks and anticipate alternatives, leading to different ‘knowledge economies’ and not to the ‘knowledge economy’.
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“Theory and Practice” of TA, which is referred to in the title of this journal “TATuP”, is usually addressed as a question of TA research. But science is more than research: the field of teaching requires just as much attention, both... more
“Theory and Practice” of TA, which is referred to in the title of this journal “TATuP”, is usually addressed as a question of TA research. But science is more than research: the field of teaching requires just as much attention, both practically and theoretically. Therefore, a mere collection of individual teaching experiences and best practice examples does not provide a strong enough basis to discuss questions of TA teaching, these must also be embedded in a theoretical context and discussed in their relation to research. In this special issue, we aim to contribute to a combination of theoretical and practical approaches to the relation of TA and “Bildung”.
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The post-graduation in the field of Technology Assessment (TA) is recent and that are several and different ways to be organised. Most experiences are related with the Masters diplom level (2nd cycle of graduation in high education). Just... more
The post-graduation in the field of Technology Assessment (TA) is recent and that are several and different ways to be organised. Most experiences are related with the Masters diplom level (2nd cycle of graduation in high education). Just one in PhD level is explicit in the field of TA, and some other PhD courses include also TA topics in their programme structure. In this chapter we will analyse the problems related with the design of a post-graduation (MA, MSc or PhD) programme in the field of TA using as reference some international experiences. Hereby, the main conclusion seems to address labour market needs in the specialised knowledge of TA, of technology management or technology innovation. In this sense TA should be included as “minor” into post-graduation courses which may range from engineering disciplines to social sciences. As a graduation programme it can fill an expertise gap between technicians, engineers, scientists and the strategic decision makers or policy makers.
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At the beginning of the 21st century there are new expectations and challenges towards Technology Assessment (TA). Among these there is a new awareness on TA issues in education, in particular at universities. While TA was mainly an... more
At the beginning of the 21st century there are new expectations and challenges towards Technology Assessment (TA). Among these there is a new awareness on TA issues in education, in particular at universities. While TA was mainly an activity at extra-universitarian research institutions for a long time now there are new developments and initiative towards integrating TA issues in university courses. We will first give an insight into the international development. Secondly we will focus on the “TA and education” landscape in Germany and Portugal in more detail, followed by a description of new and emerging forms of cooperation between Portugal and Germany in this field which might serve as a model or an example for further cooperation between other partners.
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The foresight and scenario building methods can be an interesting reference for social sciences, especially in terms of innovative methods for labour process analysis. A scenario – as a central concept for the prospective analysis – can... more
The foresight and scenario building methods can be an interesting reference for social sciences, especially in terms of innovative methods for labour process analysis. A scenario – as a central concept for the prospective analysis – can be considered as a rich and detailed portrait of a plausible future world. It can be a useful tool for policy-makers to grasp problems clearly and comprehensively, and to better pinpoint challenges as well as opportunities in an overall framework. The features of the foresight methods are being used in some labour policy making experiences. Case studies developed in Portugal will be presented, and some conclusions will be drawn in order to organise a set of principles for foresight analysis applied to the European project WORKS on the work organisation re-structuring in the knowledge society, and on the work design methods for new management structures of virtual organisations.
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Flexibilisation and complexification of working places, due to the information technologies, requires an holistic approach to the labour reality, in an integrative and wide perspective of different scenarios and operational contexts. Such... more
Flexibilisation and complexification of working places, due to the information technologies, requires an holistic approach to the labour reality, in an integrative and wide perspective of different scenarios and operational contexts. Such new changes implies the development of new personal and professional features that are beyond the restrict frame of the autonomous, discrete and specialised work. The knowledge needed for the work in organisations can be searched in the working processes modelling. And that can be a constructive basis of a “knowledge map”. Thus, are described the activities of different working processes, and that induces the emergence of a group of informations (indicators) necessary to the construction of each competence that supports the execution of those processes. This action even allows the existence of possible gaps in the strategies of long-life education and training. They assume more and more a critical support to the need of updating and maintenance of professional competences. How to identify and operationalise the professional competences in a working complex system is one of the main issues in this paper. The case study presented in this paper is refered to the air traffic control and it presents the methodology used for the identification and validation of a group of structuring professional competencies that are evident in a complex working system.
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Most of the discussion and controversy on organisation of work concepts has been referenced to the manufacturing industry along the 20th century: it started with the concept of “scientific management” from Taylor, and continued with the... more
Most of the discussion and controversy on organisation of work concepts has been referenced to the manufacturing industry along the 20th century: it started with the concept of “scientific management” from Taylor, and continued with the new ideas on the importance of human factors as Mayo pointed out in the 1930s. Immediately after the 2nd World War Friedmann studied the human problems related to new manufacturing technologies and automation. And the late 1950 and 1960s were decades of strong debate on the socio-technics with the research at Tavistock Institute of London and the emergence of national programmes on new forms of work organisation.
At the end of the last century the concept of collaborative work was developed together with the definition(s) of information systems and organisational design. However, the interest came from other production activities, like the services. This article analyses the approaches developed on these debates on the collaborative work and information system and its application to the manufacturing industry.
At the end of the last century the concept of collaborative work was developed together with the definition(s) of information systems and organisational design. However, the interest came from other production activities, like the services. This article analyses the approaches developed on these debates on the collaborative work and information system and its application to the manufacturing industry.
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A scenario is a policy analysis tool that describes a possible set of future conditions. The most useful scenarios (for corporations, for policy decision makers) are those that display the conditions of important variables over time. In... more
A scenario is a policy analysis tool that describes a possible set of future conditions. The most useful scenarios (for corporations, for policy decision makers) are those that display the conditions of important variables over time. In this approach, the quantitative underpinning enriches the narrative evolution of conditions or evolution of the variables; narratives describe the important events and developments that shape the variables. In terms of innovative methods for policy analysis, the foresight and scenario building methods can be an interesting reference for social sciences. Some examples of these exercises will be present in this paper, either related to vision in science and technology developments, social and technological futures, or related to aggregated indicators on human development. Two cases (Japan and Germany) are held on behalf the ministries of science and education (respectively, MEXT and BMBF), and another with the support of United Nations.
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The aim of the TeleRisk Project on labour relations and professional risks within the context of teleworking in Portugal – supported by IDICT – Institute for Development and Inspection of Working Conditions (Ministry of Labour), is to... more
The aim of the TeleRisk Project on labour relations and professional risks within the context of teleworking in Portugal – supported by IDICT – Institute for Development and Inspection of Working Conditions (Ministry of Labour), is to study the practices and forms of teleworking in the manufacturing sectors in Portugal. The project chose also the software industry as a reference sector, even though it does not intend to exclude from the study any other sector of activity or the so-called “hybrid” forms of work. However, the latter must have some of the characteristics of telework. The project thus takes into account the so-called “traditional” sectors of activity, namely textile and machinery and metal engineering (machinery and equipment), not usually associated to this type of work. However, telework could include, in the so-called “traditional” sectors, other variations that are not found in technologically based sectors. One of the evaluation methods for the dynamics associated to telework consisted in carrying out surveys by means of questionnaires, aimed at employers in the sectors analysed. This paper presents some of the results of those surveys. It is important to mention that, being a preliminary analysis, it means that it does not pretend to have exhausted all the issues in the survey, but has meant that it shows the bigger tendencies, in terms of teleworking practices, of the Portuguese industry.
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Como será o trabalho no futuro?
Programa FronteirasXXI na RTP3, 15 Março 2017
Programa FronteirasXXI na RTP3, 15 Março 2017
Research Interests:
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"Designing a PhD Programme on TA: An Evaluation of Five Years of Experience" Session on Teaching, Learning and Engaging in, through and about Technology Assessment, PACITA 2nd European Conference on TA - Berlin, 27 February 2015 Why... more
"Designing a PhD Programme on TA: An Evaluation of Five Years of Experience"
Session on Teaching, Learning and Engaging in, through and about Technology Assessment, PACITA 2nd European Conference on TA - Berlin, 27 February 2015
Why a Phd programme on TA?
PhD programme on TA starts at UNL in 2009
Student numbers
Interdisciplinarity
Common TA themes to be learned (60 ECTS)
Applied research (180 ECTS)- thesis research
Some joint papers made under international cooperation
Conclusions
Session on Teaching, Learning and Engaging in, through and about Technology Assessment, PACITA 2nd European Conference on TA - Berlin, 27 February 2015
Why a Phd programme on TA?
PhD programme on TA starts at UNL in 2009
Student numbers
Interdisciplinarity
Common TA themes to be learned (60 ECTS)
Applied research (180 ECTS)- thesis research
Some joint papers made under international cooperation
Conclusions
Research Interests:
December 2011 Opening Session Dean of FCT-UNL - Prof. Fernando Santana President of DCSA (Dept. Applied Social Sciences) - Prof. Maria Paula Diogo Coordinator of PhD program - Prof. António Moniz Keynote speaker - Prof. Armin Grunwald... more
December 2011
Opening Session
Dean of FCT-UNL - Prof. Fernando Santana
President of DCSA (Dept. Applied Social Sciences) - Prof. Maria Paula Diogo
Coordinator of PhD program - Prof. António Moniz
Keynote speaker - Prof. Armin Grunwald (ITAS-KIT): Responsible Innovation: challenges to technology assessment
Moderator - Prof. João Caraça (Found. Calouste Gulbenkian
Discussion
Opening Session
Dean of FCT-UNL - Prof. Fernando Santana
President of DCSA (Dept. Applied Social Sciences) - Prof. Maria Paula Diogo
Coordinator of PhD program - Prof. António Moniz
Keynote speaker - Prof. Armin Grunwald (ITAS-KIT): Responsible Innovation: challenges to technology assessment
Moderator - Prof. João Caraça (Found. Calouste Gulbenkian
Discussion
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10 January 2011
Leonhard Hennen (ITAS-KIT) - Technology Assessment Activities at the European Parliament
PhD programm on Technology Assessment
at Auditorium FCT-UNL, Campus de Caparica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa
Leonhard Hennen (ITAS-KIT) - Technology Assessment Activities at the European Parliament
PhD programm on Technology Assessment
at Auditorium FCT-UNL, Campus de Caparica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa
Research Interests:
This book organized by Alice Abreu, actual President of ISA-RC30 “Sociology of Work”, is a follow up of an international seminar on the same theme of the title, held in September 1997 also in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). In this book are... more
This book organized by Alice Abreu, actual President of ISA-RC30 “Sociology of Work”, is a follow up of an international seminar on the same theme of the title, held in September 1997 also in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). In this book are published papers presented on Latin American case studies, mostly from Brazil and Mexico, but also from Argentina and Chile. All these papers are structured around the three main parts of the book: the first one is on the productive re-structuring and inter-firm relations in automotive production chain, the second one on productive re-structuring and flexibility and the third one on entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial associations.