Diffusion of the “Internet of Things” on the world of skilled work and resulting consequences for the man–machine interaction

Background: The vision of an “Internet of Things” seems to capture numerous applica‐ tion fields at present, especially in the field of logistics. Despite the undisputed advan‐ tages the implementation of the “Internet of Things” also exerts a crucial influence on the social and economic forms of organization and on the organization of work. The implementation of the “Internet of Things” marks a new level of the division of work in the field of man–machine interaction. This article concentrates on the current level of application of the “Internet of Things” in the logistic sector and presents the resulting consequences with respect to skilled workers. Methods: Within the framework of an empirical research qualitative vocational edu‐ cational scientific instruments of early recognition were used to analyze the impact of the “Internet of Things” on skilled work. A literature and document analysis as well as expert interviews were conducted in order to analyze the current development status of the “Internet of Things’ within the field of logistics. Within a next step innovative companies and research projects were analyzed for the implementation and realization of the “Internet of Things” in skilled work and companies for case studies were selected. Following the case studies expert interviews were conducted for a deepening qualita‐ tive analyses. Results: The application of the “Internet of Things” appears to be a creeping process. Although it emerged that companies are increasingly dealing with the “Internet of Things”, the grade of diffusion was mostly comparatively low. But despite this low level of diffusion, some companies could be identified that are already witnessing sustain‐ able changes in their workflow due to the technological changes based on the imple‐ mentation of the “Internet of Things”. Conclusion: Depending on the aim that is pursued by the companies the “Internet of Things” can be applied in different ways and with different consequences for skilled work. Two major development strands could be identified: 1. the development of expert systems as a tool for qualified skilled workers; 2. limitation of the autonomy of accomplished skilled workers by the emergence of advanced technology in plants and machines (automation scenario).