Organizational and Technological Predictors of Change in automaticity

Abstract
Programmable automation lies at the heart of competitive manufacturing, yet many firms have been slow to adopt new production technologies. This study attempted to develop a theory of change in automaticity integrating both organizational and technoeconomic approaches to process innovation. The data, based on a longitudinal study of 54 manufacturing establishments, were gathered in 1973 and 1981. During the intervening period, foreign firms made considerable inroads into American markets and thus provided incentives to innovate. Our analysis suggested that the magnitude of change in automaticity is partly a function of how well various dimensions of organizational structure enable an organization to respond to incentives, given the constraints of its extant production system.

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