The Crashes of Boeing

Raine and Wellman use the term atom and bit worker to describe the two styles of jobs that can be found within a network society. They identifying through examples of how bit workers cannot do the work of atom workers as they require two different types of skill sets (Raine & Wellman, 2012). The example used in the text is directed to the constructing of the Boeing 787 and how it ended up being a nightmare in terms of building it. From the plane production being distributed to various companies, and those companies distributing their work further, the Boeing 787 had vast suppliers that ranged from 9 countries (Raine & Wellman, 2012). The work was networked so far that when trying to build the airplane there were parts either missing or that did not fit, and assembly instruction were in different languages. I find these faults interesting as the Boeing company still experiences countless issues, and recently had two crashes within the last year. There has been a history of crashes, and it makes one question if these continuously problems are caused through miscommunication between bit workers and atom workers at the production state, or if bit workers are trying to do the work of atom workers. It also makes me question if the company chooses to distribute their work even when aware of the risk because it is more cost efficient for them. An article by CNN Business states that the first solution to the earlier crisis was to properly train pilots who operate new planes, however, all the issues presented are from either the design of the planes or from a software malfunction (Isidore, 2019). Therefore, it got me thinking as to how important effective and efficient communication must be when innovating and creating. Boeing has experienced obstacles with the quality of their material as they have suppliers across 4 continents. The same issues have cost 346 people their lives in the past 6 months (Goldstein, 2019). So, I pose the questions: Do you think that technology affords us too many possibilities? Do you think we should leave atom work (hands-on work) to atom workers, rather than bit workers (a worker who is computer-based work) try and accomplish it?

Goldstein, M. (2019, March 22). Boeing Shows 'What Not To Do' In 737 MAX Crisis Communications, Expert Says. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelgoldstein/2019/03/18/boeing-shows-what-not-to-do-in-737-max-crisis-cohttps://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelgoldstein/2019/03/18/boeing-shows-what-not-to-do-in-737-max-crisis-communications-says-expert/#2ba2493040a7 

Isidore, C. (2019, April 04). Boeing has been here before. What four fatal crashes from the 1960s say about the 737 Max crisis. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/19/business/boeing-727-crash-lessons/index.html