Establishing the Research Foundations for Successful Client-Server Computing: What Naturalistic Studies Could Contribute

What is the nature of the process of implementing a new technology? How should the dynamics of implementing a new technology be studied? What research methods are best-suited to the study of complex issues of social and organizational impacts arising from the implementation of a new technology? Client-server computing represents a significant new technology that has not been a focus of research investigations. As companies pursue client-server technology as a replacement for legacy computing systems, there is a need to provide practitioners with grounded research that discover patterns of organizational and social dynamics that influence the successful outcome of a transition to this new technology. This article suggests that naturalistic research studies can formulate realistic business foundations for the successful implementation of client-server computing