Experts and Managers

Abstract

Our discussion of the organisation of engineers’ work has stressed the importance of career mobility for understanding their position in the division of labour. In this chapter I want to take that discussion one step further and look at the relationship between technical work and management. This is of central importance for any discussion of the class location of ‘experts’ in modern society. If engineers are regarded as management, they are usually unambiguously located on the side of capital. If seen as experts, simply a special kind of worker, their location is more problematic.