Rethinking Office Automation

34 Pages Posted: 31 Oct 2008

See all articles by Margrethe Olson

Margrethe Olson

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Jon Turner

New York University (NYU) - Department of Information, Operations, and Management Sciences

Date Written: September 1985

Abstract

The debate regarding the impact of technology on work organizationand the quality of work life is gaining momentum as a result ofoffice automation and its influence on large numbers of "officeâ¬Â?jobs. This paper argues that current approaches to implementation ofoffice automation technology are based on faulty assumptions aboutboth technology and work organization. The result has been systemswhich fail to live up to the claims of dramatic increases inproductivity that typically accompany their implementation. Thepaper compares information technology to production technology andreviews relevant research on impacts of technology on workorganization and management control. An approach to theimplementation of office automation systems is proposed, which isbased on a new concept of "offices" and "office workâ¬Â?. Inessence, technology is the facilitator of a wider range of choices inorganization and control of office work than was previously possible.When these new choices are considered, the technology can be appliedto both improve organizational productivity and effectiveness and toaccommodate employeesâ¬Â" needs for flexibility and a high quality worklife.

Suggested Citation

Olson, Margrethe and Turner, Jon, Rethinking Office Automation (September 1985). NYU Working Paper No. IS-85-74, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1290103

Margrethe Olson (Contact Author)

affiliation not provided to SSRN

No Address Available

Jon Turner

New York University (NYU) - Department of Information, Operations, and Management Sciences ( email )

44 West Fourth Street
New York, NY 10012
United States

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
76
Abstract Views
634
Rank
567,904
PlumX Metrics