> That's what Marx called alienation of labor.
I am almost positive Adam Smith pointed to this problem before with the pin factory example
Re:Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber (2018)
by jaggederest on Saturday June 17, 2023 @05:22PM
(#36374758)
You might not be surprised to learn that Marx, as an economist among other things, was almost certainly familiar with Adam Smith's work. Capital, for example, was at least partly a direct critique of On The Wealth of Nations.
If the conclusion of the research is "these jobs are bullshit", then I agree, but if it is about how people are doing in these jobs, it is completely valid. Graeber was mixing these in his book to have more popular appeal, which is bad.
> Line employees often do not have a big picture understanding of the work they are doing.
That's what Marx called alienation of labor. While it may increase efficiency, it takes all the pleasure out of work. But that's not really the topic of the book: There's entropy in any larger organization, and I'm sure we all have an example or two of people who are a pure waste of energy in their position.