ABSTRACT
This chapter examines employee involvement in new technology adoption, through trade unions, consultation, and job redesign. It looks at the contexts of new technology adoption. A broad range of occupations and jobs are included under the umbrella phrase 'managerial, technical and engineering specialists'. When studying the adoption of new technology, it is important to know which particular managers/technical/engineering specialists were involved, for the objectives set, the evaluation performed, and the process of adoption, based upon their background, qualifications, experience, and orientations. If a number of the employees are in trade unions, then this should be done, inter alia, through collective channels. To the extent that trade unions have been involved in new technology adoption or introduction, this has happened, through collective bargaining. Support for the argument that managers dominate new technology adoption and introduction is to be found from the empirical evidence that consultation is the most common form of employee involvement.
