Computing and organizations: what we know and what we don't know
Communications of the ACM - Special section on management of information systems
Computer mediated work: the interplay between technology and structured jobs
Communications of the ACM - Special section on management of information systems
Computerized performance monitoring systems: use and abuse
Communications of the ACM
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Rapid spread of computer and telecommunication technologies throughout white-collar work has forced researchers to consider their impacts on the people who use them. The present study uses a multi-method, lagged, time-series design to examine the impact of a computerized record system on the work life of customer service representatives in a large utility company. Results show that the computer technology had mixed effects in terms of both productivity and quality of working life, and that these effects varied depending on local organizational culture, management quality, type of worker and their detailed work tasks. Furthermore, during the year in which the computer system was being introduced, the computer system itself, its methods of use, and the managerial goals that spawned it all evolved in response to workers and other factors. These results are used to illustrate the conceptual and methodological complexities involved in establishing the causal impact of computer technology, and to suggest alternate methods for thinking about and measuring technological impact.