1. OSM – Prof. Rajesh Satpathy

2. : : The history of the organization of work : :
History of the methods by which society structures
the activities and labour necessary to its survival.
Work is essential in providing the basic physical
needs of food, clothing, and shelter. But work
involves more than the use of tools and techniques.
Advances in technology, which will always occur,
help to extend the reach of the hand, expand
muscle power, enlarge the senses, and multiply the
capacities of the mind.

3. The story of work is still unfolding, with great
changes taking place throughout the world and in a
more accelerated fashion than ever before.
The form and nature of the work process help
determine the character of a civilization; in turn, a
society’s economic, political, and cultural
characteristics shape the form and nature of the
work process as well as the role and status of the
worker within the society.

4. The world of work-comprising all interactions
between workers and employers, organizations, and
the work environment-is marked by the constant
adaptation to changes in the technological, cultural,
political, and economic environments.

5. The study of historical changes in the organization of
work can perhaps lead to a better understanding of
the present problems-now on a worldwide scale-
that accompany ongoing technical, political, and
economic changes.
Hence, this study employs both historical and
current perspectives in order to provide a basis for
understanding work in today’s world and to consider
possible changes in the future.

6. Organization of work in preindustrial times:
Prehistory
Organization of work may have begun before the evolution
of Homo sapiens.
Along with tools, a more complex brain structure, and
linguistic communication, the division of labour (job
specialization) may have been responsible for starting the
human conquest of nature and differentiating human
beings from other animal species.

7. Organization of work in preindustrial times:
In the earliest stages of human civilization, work was
confined to simple tasks involving the most basic of
human needs: food, child care, and shelter.
A division of labour likely resulted when some
individuals showed proficiency in particular tasks,
such as hunting animals or gathering plants for food.

8. Prehistory
As a means of increasing the food supply, prehistoric
peoples could organize the work of to go from place
to place searching, especially for food and hunting
and, later, agriculture.
There could be no widespread geographic division
of labour, however, because populations were
sparse and isolated. The uncertain availability of
food allowed little surplus for exchange, and there
were few contacts with groups in different places
that might have specialized in obtaining different
foods.

9. Organization of work in preindustrial times:
AGE, SEX, & CLASS
The most obvious division of labour arose from differences
in age and sex. The oldest people in the tribe lacked
strength and agility to hunt or forage far afield and so
performed more-sedentary tasks. The very youngest
members of the tribe were similarly employed and were
taught simple food gathering.
The sexual division of labour was based largely upon
physical differences, with men taking on tasks such as
hunting while women specialized in food gathering, child
care, and cooking.

10. Organization of work in preindustrial times:
AGE, SEX, AND CLASS
The earliest human groupings offer no evidence of a division
of labour based upon class. The challenges of providing food
made it necessary for the whole group to contribute, so
there could be no leisure class or even a class of full-time
specialists producing articles not directly related to the food
supply.
There were, however, part-time specialists; a person who
excelled at fashioning flint tools and weapons could produce
enough to trade any surplus for food.

11. COMMUNAL ORGANIZATION
Throughout human history, work has often required
organization. Capture of game and fish required varying
degrees of cooperation among members of the group.
Communal activity of this type had important social
implications. Food had to be equitably distributed, and a
leader was needed to organize and direct the group. Because
the basic social group was the family tribe, kin
relationships—from the tribal chief down—formed the basis
for the “managerial hierarchy.”

12. COMMUNAL ORGANIZATION
EXAMPLE:
Bones of large animals killed by hunters have been found in sites
of the Upper Paleolithic Period (about 40,000 BCE to about
10,000 BCE), indicating a high degree of organization in hunting at
this early stage of the human race.
Shortly thereafter men began using dogs to assist with hunting.
Later started other communal/ job specific organizations like…
> Pottery
> Textile
> Agriculture
> Metallurgy

13. Thank you!