A13. Johnson,
B. & Rice, R.E. (1985). Policy implications in implementing office
systems technology. In V. Mosco (Ed.), Policy research in
telecommunications.
(pp. 278-285.) Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Office use of new communication systems is growing
at an
unprecedented
rate. Projections call for 40 to 50% of the U.S. information workforce
to have workstations by 1990-32 to 38 million workstations with an
average
investment of $25,000. More than 400,000 word processing units are
expected
to be delivered in 1984. This rapid diffusion has led many to
ask,
"Can policy keep up with technological change?" In this paper we point
to three policy issues of interest to decision makers in public and
private
organizations.
The research reported here was funded by the National Science
Foundation,
specifically by a group formerly called Policy Research and Analysis,
now
the Productivity Improvement Research Section. One of the group’s
program
directions is the study of adopting technologies within organizations.
We proposed policy implications involved in system procurement,
guidelines
for use, job design and compatibility/standardization.
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