Computer, Management and Organization: Reflections on a Pilot Study

Results are presented of a pilot study dealing with the interaction between computers, management, and organization structures: a study carried out to explore the computerization phenomenon in a small sample of manufacturing firms. A short survey of the literature introduces the perspectives and objectives of the field study. Two main research outcomes are presented. Firstly, a theoretical scheme of analysis, based on the control system of administrative processes, is considered as a means of evaluating computer impact on the organization. Secondly, a set of specific hypotheses is introduced in order to analyse the empirical data. The following interactions between computers and organizational structures have been examined (while considering the firm as an open socio-technical system): technology and environment, organizational structure, automatized applications, and the computerization process