Cognitive workers' perception of work automation

The purpose of this working version of the article is to introduce the issue of automation of intellectual work. The article is a report of qualitative exploratory research based on semi-structured interviews conducted with 13 people employed in middle management positions in international corporations providing business services. The first part of the text describes the context of the study and explains key concepts, such as the digital economy, knowledge workers and automation. The second part presents the state of research on the subject from the perspective of the sociology of work. The third part introduces the research methods and tools, as well as the characteristics of the respondents. The fourth, main part of the text, presents the initially interpreted empirical material divided into four main thematic areas: 1) understanding work automation, 2) the impact of automation on employment, 3) conflicts resulting from the implementation of new technological solutions, 4) the impact of new technologies and management strategies on professional practices. The fifth and final part contains a summary and proposals for the conceptualization of the research.