As in the Terminator the machines become intelligent, then self aware and then they try and take over.
It’s like Dawn of the Living Dead the staff become mindless zombies.
It’s like that film where the aliens gradually take over peoples bodies so that they look like the person, sound like the person but something about them is different. Trouble is no one else can see it.
In other words it’s the introduction of new technology, new ways of working and a culture change all part of achieving greater efficiencies, cutting costs and doing more with less. Only it doesn’t quite go to plan.
Whilst the laptop can go anywhere I am still chained to it by emails. Most of them unwanted, many just for info but still the machine has this strange hold over me. It tempts me and teases me just to have a quick look even if it is the weekend. It punishes me for going on holiday and neglecting it by multiplying in my absence filling my inbox and preventing me doing anything until I have lavished time and attention on it. This intelligent machine corrects my spelling, argues with me about punctuation and won’t let me proceed without completing every section just right. Every so often it makes me prove who I am to its satisfaction. How long before it decides that it would be more efficient, reliable, consistent and 24/7 if it carried on without me.
The staff are present in body if not in mind, happy to have a job but not happy in their job.
Managers look the same as they did before but they are not the same. Where once there were passionate debates about values and ethnics, about social justice and tackling poverty now the talk is of performance indicators, targets, league tables and “outcomes”. Where they were once idealistic they are now pragmatic. Where once there was innovation now there is procedure. Where once there was passion now there is efficiency.
Yet all is not lost. I hear rumours of a resistance movement, small as yet unorganised groups who are using the old language of values to mount a counter attack. There is talk that necessity will bring back innovation. That the new technology can be used to create two way communications. Even that some managers have found a way to stop the ubiquitous “for info” email!
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