The Impact of Office Automation on the Organization : Some Implications for Research and Practice

Computer technology has recently been applied tothe automation of office tasks and procedures. Much ofthe technology is aimed not at improving the efficiencyof current office procedures, but at altering the nature ofoffice work altogether. The development of automatedoffice systems raises a number of issues for the organization.How will this technology be received by organizationmembers? How will it affect the definition oftraditional office work? What will be its impact onindividuals, work groups, and the structure of the organization?This paper presents a descriptive model andpropositions concerning the potential impacts of officeautomation on the organization and it stresses the need,when implementing automated office systems, to take abroad perspective of their potential positive and negativeeffects on the organization. The need for further researchexamining the potential effects of office automation isemphasized