Technology and Organizations: Methodological Deficiencies and Lacunae

Recent & empirical history of the organization-technology relationship is critically reviewed & alternative courses for future research are suggested. Social scientists have been unable to adequately assess this relationship, "primarily because technology has been variously defined, tre...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Technology and culture 1978-01, Vol.19 (1), p.83-92
Main Authors: Mileti, Dennis S., Gillespie, David F., Morrissey, Elizabeth
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Corporate bureaucracy
Environmental technology
History of technology
Industrial products
Methodology/Methodologies/ Methodological (see also Method)
Organization/Organizations/ Organizational/ Organize/ Organizers/ Organized/ Organizing
Production/Productivity/ Producer/ Producers
Raw materials
Service industries
Social research
Social structures
Space technology
State of the Art
Structure/Structures/ Structuring/ Structured
Technological change
Technology
Technology/Technological/ Technologically
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Summary:Recent & empirical history of the organization-technology relationship is critically reviewed & alternative courses for future research are suggested. Social scientists have been unable to adequately assess this relationship, "primarily because technology has been variously defined, treated only as an independent variable, applied holistically to organizations, confused with structure, crudely measured, & studied mainly in manufacturing plants." Future research must assess & control for: factors of organizational type (people process vs material production), technology dimension (material, process, & knowledge), organizational level (system vs subsystem), standardized indicators of technology, the confusing effects of structure, & the causal status of the technology variable (independent, dependent, or control). G. Simpson.
ISSN:0040-165X
1097-3729
DOI:10.2307/3103309