Exploring obstacles: integrating CSCW in evolving organisations

ABSTRACT

Integrating CSCW systems to organisations is highly complex. This paper examines the co-evolution process involved in tailoring a CSCW system to fit in with the current organisational structure, whilst concurrently adapting the working practices to enable the system to support collaboration. A study is presented which analyses the various obstacles and inequities that ensue when a multi-user system is implemented in a company. To facilitate the management and resolution of the emergent problems, a preliminary conceptual framework is outlined. Finally, a case is presented for involving intermediaries in helping companies customise CSCW systems and adapt their work practices.

REFERENCES

• 1: Anderson, B., Button, G., and Sharrock, W. Supporting the design process within an organisational context, in Proceedings of ECSCW'93 (September 13..17, Milan, Italy), Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, 1993, pp. 47-60.
• 2: Bannon, L, Use, design and evaluation: Steps towards an integration. In Proceedings of International Works,~op on CSCW Design and Groupware Systems (April, Shading, Austria), Austrian Computer Society, 1993.
• 3: John Bowers , James Pycock, Talking through design: requirements and resistance in cooperative prototyping, Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems: celebrating interdependence, p.299-305, April 24-28, 1994, Boston, Massachusetts, United States [doi>10.1145/191666.191773]
• 4: John Bowers, The work to make a network work: studying CSCW in action, Proceedings of the 1994 ACM conference on Computer supported cooperative work, p.287-298, October 22-26, 1994, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States [doi>10.1145/192844.193030]
• 5: Thomas R. G. Green, The cognitive dimension of viscosity: A sticky problem for HCI, Proceedings of the IFIP TC13 Third Interational Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, p.79-86, August 27-31, 1990
• 6: Gr0nb~ek, K., Grudin, J., B0dker, S., and Bannon, L. Achieving cooperative system design" Shifting from a product to a process focus, in D. Schuler, and A. Namioka, (Eds.) Participatory Design: Principles and Practices. LEA, Hillsdale, 1993, pp. 79-98.
• 7: Jonathan Grudin, Why CSCW applications fail: problems in the design and evaluation of organization of organizational interfaces, Proceedings of the 1988 ACM conference on Computer-supported cooperative work, p.85-93, September 26-28, 1988, Portland, Oregon, United States [doi>10.1145/62266.62273]
• 8: Grudin, J. Groupware and cooperative work: Problems and prospects, In B. Laurel (Ed.), The Art of Human Computer Interface Design. Addison Wesley, Cambridge, Mass., 1990, pp. 171-183.
• 9: Grudin, J. Obstacles to participatory design in large product development organisations. In D. Schuler, and A. Namioka, (Eds.) Participatory Design: Principles and Practices. LEA, Hillsdale, 1993, pp. 99-119.
• 10: Hammer, M. Business process re-engineering. Cited in The Economist. May 1, 1993.
• 11: Harper, R. and Carter, K. Searching for problems and answers: An empirical report on CSCW. Rank Xerox EuroPARC, Technical Report EPC-91-111, 61 Regent Street, Cambridge, UK, 1991.
• 12: Mackay, W.E. Users and customisable software: A coadaptive phenomenon. Unpublished PhD.Dissertation, School of Management, MIT, 1990.
• 13: March, J.G. How decisions happen in organisations. Human-Computer interaction 6, 2 (1990), 95-117.
• 14: Marshak, D.S. Lotus Notes: A platform for developing workgroup applications. Patricia Seybold's Office Computing Report 13, 7 (1990), 1-14.
• 15: Wanda J. Orlikowski, Learning from Notes: organizational issues in groupware implementation, Proceedings of the 1992 ACM conference on Computer-supported cooperative work, p.362-369, November 01-04, 1992, Toronto, Ontario, Canada [doi>10.1145/143457.143549]
• 16: Press, L. Lotus Notes (Groupware) in context, Journal of Organisational Computin 2, 3/4 (1992), 315-320.
• 17: Rogers, Y. Coordinating computer mediated work. CSCW 1,4 (1993), 295-315.
• 18: Rogers, Y. Reconfiguring the social scientist: Shifting from prescription to proactive research. To appear in G. Bowker, L. Gasser, L. Star, and B. Turner (rEds.), Social Science, Technical Systems and Cooperative Work. MIT: Cambridge, Mass., 1994.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)

Additional Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.6 MANAGEMENT OF COMPUTING AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS

General Terms:
Theory

Keywords:
CSCW systems, conceptual framework, field studies, implementation, situation use