Editing Division of labour (section)

=== Karl Marx ===
{{Marxism sidebar|expanded=economics}}
Marx argued that increasing the specialisation may also lead to workers with poorer overall skills and a lack of enthusiasm for their work. He described the process as [[Marx's theory of alienation|alienation]]: workers become more and more specialised and work becomes repetitive, eventually leading to complete alienation from the process of production. The worker then becomes "depressed spiritually and physically to the condition of a machine."<ref>Marx, Karl. [1844] 1963. "[[Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844|Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844]]." In ''Karl Marx Early Writings'', edited by [[T. B. Bottomore]]. London: [[Charles Albert Watts|C.A. Watts and Co]]. § First Manuscript, p.&nbsp;72.</ref>

Additionally, Marx argued that the division of labour creates less-skilled workers. As the work becomes more specialised, less training is needed for each specific job, and the workforce, overall, is less skilled than if one worker did one job entirely.<ref>Marx, Karl. 1849. "[[Wage Labour and Capital|Wage Labor & Capital]]."</ref>

Among Marx's theoretical contributions is his sharp distinction between the economic and the [[social division of labour]].<ref>[[Marx, Karl]]. [1867] 1977. ''[[Capital, Volume I|Capital: A Critique of Political Economy, Volume 1]].'' New York: [[Vintage Books]]. pp. 781–94.</ref> That is, some forms of labour co-operation are purely due to "technical necessity", but others are a result of a "social control" function related to a class and status hierarchy. If these two divisions are conflated, it might appear as though the existing division of labour is technically inevitable and immutable, rather than (in good part) socially constructed and influenced by [[Power (sociology)|power]] relationships. He also argues that in a [[communism|communist]] society, the division of labour is transcended, meaning that balanced human development occurs where people fully express their nature in the variety of creative work that they do.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rattansi |first=Ali |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-1-349-16829-3 |title=Marx and the Division of Labour |date=1982 |publisher=Macmillan Education UK |isbn=978-0-333-28556-5 |location=London |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-1-349-16829-3}}</ref>