For the blue-collar worker, the driving force behind change was factory automation using programmable machine tools. For the office worker, it’s office automation using computer technology: enterprise-resource-planning systems, groupware, intranets, extranets, expert systems, the Web, and e-commerce.

Peters draws a parallel between two waves of productivity-driven transformation. In manufacturing, the decisive disruption came from automating physical labor through programmable machinery; in white-collar work, the analogous disruption is the automation of information flows and coordination through networked computing. By listing ERP, groupware, intranets/extranets, expert systems, the Web, and e-commerce, he emphasizes that “office automation” is not a single tool but an ecosystem that standardizes processes, accelerates communication, and shifts value from routine clerical tasks toward judgment, creativity, and customer-facing problem-solving. The implication is that organizations must redesign work and skills—not merely install technology—to thrive amid continual change.