Technology‐led change: A study of the implementation of CADCAM

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Abstract
Many authors have emphasized that new technology implementations in organizations are predominantly ‘technology led' (e.g. Blacker & Brown, 1986; Clegg & Kemp, 1986). However, few analysts have attempted to account for this approach or, indeed, to spell out its consequences. In this study, we describe the implementation of a CADCAM system in a light engineering company over an 18‐month period, focusing specifically on the reasons for the adoption of a technology‐led implementation style. Using a variety of methods and data‐gathering techniques, we argue that this ‘technology‐led’ implementation is a form of ‘satisficing’ (March & Simon, 1961) and that this approach was adopted as a result of the differentiated and political environment, the scarcity of organizational resources, the existing managerial style and the complexity of the problem. We present a model of this implementation approach and its outcomes based on this interpretation.

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