Facilitating Organizational Decentralization Through Teleconferencing

The New Rural Society (NRS) Project is determining how communications technology can be used to improve living conditions in rural areas. An important part of this research is concerned with encouraging the creation of employment in such areas. In conjunction with this objective, NRS has conducted a series of experiments leading to the development and field test of a teleconferencing system which would help facilitate the decentralization of employment by providing an electronic alternative for face-to-face meetings. This phase of the research is described.