Publisher's Synopsis
What do computers mean for organizations and for the people in them? Computing and Change on Campus constitutes a fascinating study of the advantages and costs of massive experimentation with new technology. It chronicles the computerization of Carnegie Mellon University, now perhaps the most computer-intensive university in the world. Drawing on the results of an extensive and systematic research program, Sara Kiesler, Lee Sproull, and their colleagues describe how available resources, behavior, and attitudes to computing evolved campus-wide over the period from 1981 to 1985. They examine the impact of computerization on faculty, staff, administrators, and students, and find that the new technology has social consequences - changes in patterns of attention, social contact, norms, and social structure. The authors' conclusions transcend particular computer systems and will be of interest to all educators, managers, and social scientists who care about the social implications of technological change.
