The role of information technology in organization design

The authors introduce a set of information technology variables which can be used in designing organizations. They first discuss traditional design variables and then present a series of options enabled by modern information technology (IT). The authors use these IT design variables to describe four prototypical organizations that are beginning to appear in the work place: virtual, negotiated, traditional, and vertically integrated. It is argued that an organization designer must also consider how structure and technology influence job tasks and people in order to be successful. The authors then discuss potential implementation difficulties, particularly in motivating traditional organizations to take advantage of IT design variables. They conclude that the design of information technology and the design of organizations are largely becoming the same task.