Towards Distributive Processing: Company Strategies in Computer Usage

There is much discussion of “distributive processing” in computer management circles, but little agreement as to what the term means. Three conditions that must be met for distributive processing to exist are suggested, and it is shown (through two case studies) how different companies may move towards distributive processing in different ways. Two main routes, via distributed and decentralised processing, are identified, and it is suggested (using Mintzberg′s work) that the route a company takes is significantly influenced by the nature and structure of the organisation.