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Workshop on Work, Organisational Reengineering and Information Systems
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Date: Thu, 3 Apr 1997 18:37:11 -0500
From: Andrew Clement
CALL FOR PARTICIPATION
INTERACT97 WORKSHOP, 14 July 1997, Sydney, Australia
RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN WORK, ORGANISATIONAL REENGINEERING AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Sponsored by: IFIP WG9.1 (Computers and Work), and the Union Research Centre on Organisation and Technology (URCOT).
Submission deadline: April 18, 2-5 page position statement.
Increasingly organisations are under pressure to change their work practices and organisational structures. Typically these changes are supported by information and communication technologies that have major impacts on jobs, the workplace itself, and employment generally. Yet HCI research and practice have tended to focus on the interface between the individual user and the computer. This focus has excluded the relationships between the technology, the people who use it, the organisational environment and the work the technology is intended to support. Contradictory trends in the role of technology in the workplace include the introduction of client-oriented, multi-functional, self-managing teams, the introduction of technology that is intended to replace the skill and knowledge of those who use it, and the siphoning off of some functions to external organisations.
The goal of the workshop is to clarify both the dynamics between organisational restructure and technological systems, as well as their implications for the work that is required to use the systems, and how this is performed. Participation is encouraged from people with diverse perspectives in order to broaden the understanding of ramifications of current change processes and their impact in people's work. Contributions that link people using technology in their work, as well as designers, developers and researchers, are particularly valued.
Prospective participants are asked to submit a position statement (2-5 pages) describing their background, nature of interest in the workshop themes, and what they consider to be key issues from their perspective. Case studies of particular workplace experiences would be welcome. Position statements should include full contact information and be submitted in electronic form (email) to one of the organisers by 18 APRIL. Participants, to a maximum of 20, will be selected on the basis of the relevance and quality of their papers, and to provide a stimulating mix of people with different backgrounds. Participants will be notified if their paper has been accepted by 9 May, and will be required to pay a workshop registration fee before being assured of a place in the workshop. Position papers will be circulated to all participants in advance of the workshop. Formal discussion of the papers will take place over one full day, Monday 14 July, followed by optional participation in an additional half day's discussion to plan publication of material incorporating key aspects of papers and discussion. As a social adjunct to the workshop participants and their friends are invited to take part in a specially organised walking tour of Sydney's Scenic Sites of Struggle.
Organisers:
Patsy Segall Union Research Centre on Organisation and Technology Level 1, 171 La Trobe Street, Melbourne, Australia 3000 zpatsy@minyos.its.rmit.edu.au Tel: +61 3 9663 4555, Fax: +61 3 9663 4443
Andrew Clement Faculty of Information Studies, University of Toronto 140 St George Street, Toronto, Ontario Canada M5S 1A1 clement@fis.utoronto.ca Tel: +1 416 978 3111, Fax: +1 416 971 1399
Information about INTERACT97 is available from Australian Convention and Travel Services Unit 4, 24-26 Mort Street, Braddon ACT 2601 interact97@acs.org.au; home page http://i97.syd.dit.csiro.au/i97 Tel: +61 6 257 3299, Fax: +61 6 257 3256
ATTACHMENT
RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN WORK, ORGANISATIONAL REENGINEERING AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS: WORKSHOP THEMES
Participants' Perspectives
Workshop participants will bring a range of perspectives to the issues under examination:
* - experience in a particular kind of workplace, for example a teleservice centre;* - industry perspectives, for example the finance sector;* - specific areas under development for example electronic commerce;* - experience with a particular industrial agreement or dispute;* - analysis of relevant labour market and employment trends;* - case studies of organisational restructure and technological innovation.
Issues In Organisational Change
There are pressures on organisations to restructure. Different types of organisational change have different implications and impacts. Examples include:
- business process reengineering; - multi-functional client-based teams; - elimination of functions; - downsizing; - contracting of work, internally, externally; - dispersal of work in space and time.
The Role of IT in Organisational Restructuring
Requirements gathering for information systems involves multiple stakeholders, and is of great complexity. The computer interface and systems can support intelligent, autonomous work (both individual and team) or enable 'plugging in' of operators to limited data entry or enquiry roles. For systems developers there are specific issues:
- relationships with internal, external clients; - responsibility for impact assessment;* - responsibility for user participation.
Employment and Quality of Work
For workers and their unions many issues arise:
- new kinds of work and employment relationships; - hours and location of work;* - value of local knowledge and tailored customer service v. homogeneous service;* - if the technology is easy to use and requires little training, work can be moved off-shore relatively cheaply;* - worker participation in decision making and systems development; - what should unions aim for in industrial agreements? - relationships between unions in different countries.
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WORKSHOPS General Information
Eight one-day workshops are available for 10 to 20 people with an interest in a particular topic to meet with like-minded others and share views, discuss and make plans for further work. A small fee ($150) is charged to cover the workshop costs. This fee includes morning and afternoon tea, lunch and written material relating to the workshop. Workshops are held on Monday, 14th July and Tuesday, 15th July.
If you are interested in joining an INTERACT97 workshop, submit a position paper (by email) directly to the contact person for that workshop, preferably by 18th April. Position papers should be 2-5 pages long. Make sure that you include your name, postal address, email, URL, fax, phone number, a brief biography and a statement about why you want to join the workshop.
To ensure participation in the workshop of your choice, please pay the workshop registration fee by 2nd June. Participants may register for a workshop without registering for the full conference.
Notification of your acceptance as a participant will be sent to you by the workshop organisers by 9th May. Position papers accepted for the workshop will be distributed by workshop organisers to participants prior to the workshop.
Please note that aWorkshop will only proceed if there are a minimum of 10 participants registered by the early bird registration date (2nd June). If a workshop must be cancelled because the minimum number of ten people have not registered for the workshop by the early-bird registration date, people who have registered for the workshop will be informed and their full workshop registration fee refunded to them.
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Andrew Clement, Associate Professor Office: +1-416-978-3111 Faculty of Information Studies Fax: +1-416-971-1399 University of Toronto Home: +1-416-922-0251 140 St. George Street Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A1 clement@fis.utoronto.ca http://www.fis.utoronto.ca/people/faculty/clement
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