Integrated Organization and Technology Development – an Approach to Manage Change. Wulf, V. & Rohde, M. In Proceedings of the 5th IFAC Symposium on Automated Systems based on Human Skill – Discussion Group V, pages 55–64, Aachen, Germany, 1995. ACM Press.
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1. Introduction Organizations face increasing complexity and dynamics of their environment. To cope with it organizational structures have to be rethought. In this context the concept of self-organization is nowadays widely discussed in management science. Contrary to a tayloristic approach where organizations were perceived as social units which could be controlled mechanically from the top, the concept of self-organization is based on the idea that social units are networks of autonomous self-regulating subunits whose behaviour cannot be controlled easily from the outside. To be able to exploit the benefits of self-organizing systems, organizational structures have to be renewed: the divison of labour among the subunits has to be changed, the hierarchies have to be flattened while self-coordination by non hierarchical communication among the subunits has to play a more important role. Within this process of reorganization, information systems are of importance. They offer options for alternative modes of division of labour and new patterns of coordination within an organization. On the other hand the design of these systems has to respond also to changing organizational requirements. That means that the relationship between the technical and the organizational changes is characterized by reciprocity and interdependence. Therefore, an integrated approach to organization and technology development is required. The given dynamics of the environment force organizations to react permanently. This requires an iterative approach to change. Once an intervention has been performed within this development process, its effects have to be reconsidered whether they led to the intended result. According to the paradigma of self-organization, it cannot be predicted from the outside in which way organizations as a whole and single subunits will react to changing environmental conditions. Thus, a process of integrated organization and technology development depends on the active participation of the single subunits affected.
@inproceedings{wulf_integrated_1995,
	address = {Aachen, Germany},
	title = {Integrated {Organization} and {Technology} {Development} – an {Approach} to {Manage} {Change}},
	abstract = {1. Introduction Organizations face increasing complexity and dynamics of their environment. To cope with it organizational structures have to be rethought. In this context the concept of self-organization is nowadays widely discussed in management science. Contrary to a tayloristic approach where organizations were perceived as social units which could be controlled mechanically from the top, the concept of self-organization is based on the idea that social units are networks of autonomous self-regulating subunits whose behaviour cannot be controlled easily from the outside. To be able to exploit the benefits of self-organizing systems, organizational structures have to be renewed: the divison of labour among the subunits has to be changed, the hierarchies have to be flattened while self-coordination by non hierarchical communication among the subunits has to play a more important role. Within this process of reorganization, information systems are of importance. They offer options for alternative modes of division of labour and new patterns of coordination within an organization. On the other hand the design of these systems has to respond also to changing organizational requirements. That means that the relationship between the technical and the organizational changes is characterized by reciprocity and interdependence. Therefore, an integrated approach to organization and technology development is required. The given dynamics of the environment force organizations to react permanently. This requires an iterative approach to change. Once an intervention has been performed within this development process, its effects have to be reconsidered whether they led to the intended result. According to the paradigma of self-organization, it cannot be predicted from the outside in which way organizations as a whole and single subunits will react to changing environmental conditions. Thus, a process of integrated organization and technology development depends on the active participation of the single subunits affected.},
	booktitle = {Proceedings of the 5th {IFAC} {Symposium} on {Automated} {Systems} based on {Human} {Skill} – {Discussion} {Group} {V}},
	publisher = {ACM Press},
	author = {Wulf, Volker and Rohde, Markus},
	year = {1995},
	pages = {55--64},
}

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