Title: “Learning from Notes: Organizational Issues in Groupware Implementation”
Author: Wanda J. Orlikowski from the Sloan School of Management – Massachusetts
Institute of Technology
The purpose of the paper is to examine the implementation of the groupware product
Notes into one office of a large organization and “to investigate whether and how the use
of a collaborative tool changes the nature of work and the pattern of social interactions in
the office, and with what intended and unintended consequences” (Orlikowski, 362).
The main points of the article are that two organizational elements are relevant in
influencing the effective utilization of groupware: “people’s cognitions or mental models
about technology and their work, and the structural properties of the organization such as
policies, norms, and reward systems” (Orlikovsky, 362). Employees must be introduced
to the new technology and trained correctly. If the premise of groupware, which is
collaboration, goes against the rigid hierarchical structure of the organization, groupware
on its own will likely be ineffective in promoting collaboration between employees.
This paper is very useful for students in this course because it deals with problems
people face in organizations all the time. Groupware is very expensive and many
organizations are under the impression that collaboration will occur with the purchase of
the software. Few people realize that the structure and culture of the organization plays a
large role in determining whether the employees will accept the new technology.
Just like any other type of technology, it is difficult to get people to change from
what they are comfortable with. This concept is examined in an article by Shapiro and
Varian, “The Art of Standard Wars”. Black and white vs. colour televisions was one
example that they use. In “IT Doesn’t Matter”, Carr states that just implementing a
technology will not provide competitive advantage, organizations as a whole must adopt
the technology and learn its capabilities for it to be effective.
Sources
Orlikowski, Wanda J. “Learning from Notes: Organizational Issues in Groupware
Implementation.” (1992): 362-69. Print. 22 Sep 2009.
Shapiro, Carl. And Varian, Hal R. “The Art of Standards Wars.” California Management
Review 41.2 (1999): 8-33. Print. 22 Sep 2009.
Carr, Nicolas G. “IT Doesn’t Matter.” Harvard Business Review (1995): 41-49. Print. 22
Sep 2009.