Yogesh
Thanks for the extra info regarding your thoughts on information
processing. I am also very interested in this topic and am using it as
the basis for analysing the impact of IT on work groups. I became
interested in LO issues because of my interest in the relationship between
organisational culture and work group dynamics. Upon joining this list I
have enjoyed the discussions, and keep on having "flash backs" to my
undergraduate days, when I was exposed to Goldratt and systems thinking.
I digress.
Firstly, I am interested in some of the refs. you have used in your
message, and would like full details, if poss. Huber, Dutton, Terryberry,
and Tryst.
In your message you said that "task complexity could be considered to be
an analog to the environmental complexity", and you are basing this on two
models, pedagogical and andragogy (i haven't come across these
either...can I have the refs.). The only problem that i can see with this
assumption is that there is no allowence for the organisational structure,
or the organisations control upon the task, March and Olson, who built
upon Weiks' theory have coined the term "attention structure", which is
their phrase for this organisational control on individuals enactment of
environmental complexity.
I agree with you that it may be possible to extend the framework of
analysis to all three levels, organisation, group, and individual, given
their relationship to each other. However I feel this is a bit of a mine
field. I would say that it would work...if the group dynamics show
congruency with the organisational culture and that the group exists as
the organisation specifies it. At the individual level I see no real
difficulties...there are no individuals within organisations (or there
shouldn't be) only team members. This may be a very idealistic view ( re:
Leeson and Bearings, if indeed Leeson was acting with individual gain in
mind).
Your current perspective "various information systems applied at different
units of analysis are abstractions for translating complexity into
'meaningfulness' which may be a mediator for action"; again this is
similar to what I am looking into. There are many information systems in
use within organisations, some have a formal definition, some do not.
Some are electronic and some are not. In analysing these informatio
systems and hopefully employing technology to support and assimilate them,
will undoubtable leaad to many benefits for the organisation.
I have written an end of year report on the literature behind my research
which is accessible from my home page URL,
http://web.is.city.ac.uk/Home/mjd/Homepage.html This has all the refs etc.
and if you fancy reading it I would be grateful for any feedback.
Don't forget there is the decision making view of information processing
theory (Simon), which backs up the opinion that individuals are limited in
their cognitive approach to complexity by the constraints of the
organisation.
I am at present carrying out field research within organisations on this
topic. What methodology are you going to employ in the analysis of
complexity et al. ?
mike.
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Mike Dilworth, Department of Information Science,
Research Student. City University,
Northampton Square,
Email: M.J.Dilworth@is.city.ac.uk EC1V 0HB.
URL : http://web.is.city.ac.uk/Home/mjd/Homepage.html
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