Will office automation provide the Theory Z organization

Theory ' Z' is a management ph.ilosophy which has some promise for Western business. Office automation may also provide a number of benefits. It is likely that office automation may enable firms to implement Theory Z and other alternative organizational styles relatively more easily than typical evolu­ tion. Th.is paper explores aspects of Theory Z which are con­ sistent with and easily implemented in typical office automa­ tion systems. The example of computer programming applica­ tions is used throughout to illustrate the difference between Theory Z and non-Theory-Z organizations. Office automation is seen as one aspect of an organizational development scheme including organizational study, career structure analysis, a rede­ sign of performance evaluation and an analysis of the role of information in work design.