Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on Tracy Kidder’s “Soul of a New Machine”. Have the paper e-mailed to you 24/7/365.
Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 5 page report discusses the 1981 Pulitzer Prize-winning book that details the construction of the first mini-supercomputer by Data General Corporation. The report is not only a review of the book but considers the ways in which technology has changed the way workers work and their attitudes about work. It also examines the attitudes of the Data General workers who crated the “new machine.” Bibliography lists 2 sources.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_BWkidder.rtf
Buy This Term Paper »
Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
view. The issue he presents is particularly fascinating since he wrote the book at a time when mini-super computers were still within the realm of science fiction and secret military
installations. As a result, "Soul of a New Machine" offers a reader an interesting point of view into how the machines that have changed the world came into being. It
also allows for questions to be asked about the hows and whys of such development and what the developers believed was possible because of their efforts. In light of the
ways in which the 21st century is one in which computers are nearly as common place as telephones or televisions, it is also worth asking how technology has changed the
way workers work and their attitudes about work. The True Meaning of Satisfying Work Collins (1996) makes note of the fact that one of the most fundamental truths that is
presented in Kidders book is that work inside an organization, as part of a team, is the most rewarding when it presents a challenge. He points out that such a
work effort involves: "The challenge of a difficult task, the pursuit of a clear and compelling goal, personal responsibility for a significant contribution to the overall effort, and
individual freedom in the pursuit of ones work ... The individuals in Kidders story had to come through; they could not let their comrades down" (pp. 55). In other
words, the greatest thrill of creating "the machine" was the process itself. What Collins refers to as "the pursuit of the project" (pp. 55) is what invigorated and inspired the
engineers working on it. Such being the case, one has to wonder how people who now use the machine as part of their daily work life feel about meeting a
...