The Case Study as a Tool for Organizational Change: Applying the Steel Ax to the Designers of Management Information Systems

Abstract

While in modern organizational life much effort is expended in the design and implementation of computerized management information systems, there is much evidence to suggest that the process of Implementation seldom goes smoothly. The problem is a natural target for the concepts and techniques from the field of organizational development. However, given the rational paradigm of systems designers, it is very difficult for practitioners of organization development, who employ an entirely different paradigm, to even initiate a relationship. In this paper an experiential technique is proposed for solving the communication problem.