Blog 1-The Projective City

Mallon’s argument in the Communitech event can be seen as indicative of what Boltanski and Chiapello term "the projective city" in the Waterloo Region Tech Sector. In Mallon’s talk, he mentions seven variables that will change the method people work. “Technology, a tsunami of data, AI and computing robotics, jobs that are vulnerable to automation, diversity and generational changes, the fact that we’re living longer, so our careers will be longer as well, and an explosion in contingent work” are the variables (Pedro, 2019). We cannot deny the fact that with the quick development of technology, it changes our life and our work a lot. That is to say, some of the work can be instead by technology. Although the tech impacts the traditional work form, it is important to combine these together. therefore, the workforce and the technology should transmit together to make the market better.
And this can be linked to Boltanski and Chapello’s (2005) perspective of “the projective city”. According to their work, the projective city is modelled after a term that often appears in management literature: project organization. This refers to a company whose structure consists of multiple projects that connect a wide variety of people, some of whom are involved in multiple projects (Boltanski & Chapello, 2005, p. 105). Thus, in order to make the work more efficient, talent and the use of talent need to make it balance. In order words, it is significant to collaborate with people and technology together. The employee in the company should suit their position. Along with the social change, the personal arrangement in the enterprise also needs to follow the change. So that they can develop better.

In Castells’ typology of network power, I feel it is related to network-making power. Network-making power emphasize on the values and the interests of the programmers. Therefore, each of the actors have its own specific role on the different networks. While, for the projective city, the link between each other in the network is significant. Putting people in contact and making connections are good for constructing networks (Boltanski & Chapello, 2005, p. 107)


Castells. M. “Power in the Network Society”
L. Boltanksi and E. Chiapello, “The Rise of the Projective City”
Pedro. K. “A Master’s Every 10 Years: How Workers Will Adapt to Change”

Comments

  1. Tyler CurrieMarch 25, 2019 at 5:42 AM

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  2. Tyler CurrieMarch 25, 2019 at 5:47 AM

    Great post!

    I agree that networks are required for both working relations and the construction of productivity. A famous phrase 'no one on the planet knows how a computer mouse works' comes to mind. It references the concept that computer programmers, engineers, designers ect. all contributed a small amount to the mouse, so not one person can explain the 'in's and outs' of the device. Companies work in a similar fashion. Everyone contributes a small amount, which leads to a combined effort that not a single person could achieve on their own.

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  3. nila sureshkumarMarch 25, 2019 at 1:25 PM

    Hi,

    I agree with your point that the rapid changes that are being made in the technology sector also largely impacts the changes in our everyday lives as well. With the increasing amount of efficiency that technology brings, it can also be transferred over to modern working culture. It is now increasingly common for workplaces to provide their employees with personal laptops that will allow them to work from home, or even in any part of the world. Companies can also contact their employees from their different national branches through video chats and conference calls. As a result, technology is a key aspect in 'project organization', as you mentioned, where multiple people are working on a project together simultaneously and more efficiently through technology.

    ReplyDelete

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