Computer support of organization design and learning

Organization design is a pervasive phenomenon that significantly impacts performance, and yet organization design activity has received little direct support from computer technology. If organization learning is viewed as the process whereby knowledge is developed, then organization design both influences the organizational learning that occurs and is at least a partial reflection of the organizational learning that has occurred. This article examines the significance, bases, and means for developing multiuser, computer‐based environments for supporting organization design and learning. The article introduces a working perspective of organization design and learning highlighted by three key ideas. Organization design and learning (1) is defined in terms of organization work, structure, and process; (2) is an ongoing evolutionary phenomenon; and (3) can and should be an inclusive, distributed, multiparticipant effort. The article identifies the requirements for computer‐based technology that supports this ...