Interactions, Technology and Organizational Change

In this paper the role of technology in the life of organizations is examined in the context of five case studies. The studies show how the balance between the technology-oriented and people-oriented aspects of technology development and implementation is changing. Widespread use of technology in real-life working environments has brought to light new challenges and opportunities for learning about its impact on people at work. The case studies also illustrate the development of an information-based approach to the study of the social and organizational contexts of work. In real-life working environments technology is only one of the informational resources available to users and can only be successful if it fits in with the established working practices in the organization. Each study illustrates how a wide scale application of information technology has brought to light different aspects of organizational complexity. The first case study is about the application of conventional database systems in manufacturing. The second illustrates an expert system solution to support fault diagnosis. Third and fourth describe the need for informational support for decision-making and operational awareness in safety critical situations. The fifth case study is an exploration of the potential of the advanced interactive technology, such as multimedia and virtual reality, to change both social and organizational relationships in the workplace. In conclusion, we consider the insights offered by the view of organizations as complex adaptive systems as a vehicle for understanding the impact of information technology on organizational relationships.