Consequences of Web‐based technology usage

Web‐based technologies are rapidly becoming an integral part of the business fabric, interwoven into most departments and functional areas. However, the consequences of adopting these innovations, such as anticipated versus unanticipated and desirable versus undesirable consequences, warrant further exploration. This paper describes the experience of a contract service business after adopting a Web‐based collaborative technology to share information throughout the firm. User perceptions and attitudes towards this technology and its impact on time, control, and organisational change were explored via qualitative interviews. The results suggest that there were a number of consequences relating to these dimensions. We reflect on these consequences and offer suggestions based on the generalisability of the results. Further studies are identified that extend the exploration into the impact of Web‐based collaboration.