Organization follows Technology ? LO13553

arthur battram (apb@cityplex.demon.co.uk)
Thu, 8 May 1997 19:25:04 -0400

Replying to LO13393 --

>From: "John Zavacki" <jzavacki@wolff.com>

>Often the problem is one of installing the second layer of technology
>before the first. Without understanding the nature of the organization
>and its requisite skill sets, a PC allows for doing the wrong things
>faster or may reinforce psychological drift. A favorite example is a
>company which operates on a project by project basis, but doesn't have
>anyone skilled in project management.
...snip...
no application, regardless of how well it is written can improve
>the productivity of a human who doesn't understand why it is written.
...snip...
>NOTE: the productivity of people who understand the process the software
>was written to enhance AND who work in an environment which shares values
>and works towards a common goals is tremendous.

John, I agree with you. And yet I would go further. Any piece of
software comes with a worldview embedded in it. And if the worldview
embedded in the software isnt in harmony with the team and their tasks,
it's the team that is forced to change, not the software. For example, WP
software carries an assumption of western writing from top left down to
bottom right, project planning software assumes a linear process where you
know what will happen next. So even if we do 'understand the process the
software was written to enhance AND work in an environment which shares
values and works towards a common goals' we may still be constrained.

best wishes

arthur battram

-- 

from Arthur Battram, organisational learning adviser at LGMB, a notforprofit management advisory body supporting UK local authorities.

The 'Learning from Complexity' pack, a guide to the application of the 'new sciences' to management, is now available. It is relevant to other sectors outside of the 'local government' sector. For more info, visit our webpages at: http://www.netsquared.com/lgmb-complex/

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