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Consequences of Computing:
A Framework for Teaching
Importance of the Dimensions - Page 11 of 36
Organizations Within any particular organization, there are likely to be differing
points of view on the use, regulation, promise, and design of a technology. These differences
will depend on organizational structure and culture, on workplace procedure, on the amount of
power and areas of interest each group within the organization has, and on the position in the
hierarchy an office or other workplace inhabits. For example, in designing a scheduling and
appointment system for a hospital, the designer will need to take into consideration the
differing agendas of doctors, nurses, administrators, and technical personnel [55]. Some of
the groups within the organization will want the system to give them unique privileges, and
there may well be disagreement within the organization about who should make final decisions
about the design and use of the system. Designers of a computer system within this environment
cannot "fix" the power conflicts in the organization, nor should they try. But if they are
aware of the organizational dynamics that are occurring, and have words and categories to
describe it, they may be able to design a better system that is more widely used and
appreciated.
Privacy is a major ethical issue that confronts organizations today (and those computer
professionals who design databases for organizations). Individuals' reactions vary to being
monitored, or to having personal information recorded about them [3]. But organizations have
powerful economic incentives to collect this sort of data and to store it in easily accessible
forms. The computer designer who understands these incentives will be in a better position to
discuss privacy issues with a client or employer, and can integrate a concern for the
legitimate information needs of the organization (e.g. verifying the identity of customers) and
concerns for the privacy of the individuals.
Organizational imperatives that require work groups to value production above all else are
often the culprits in poor quality of products or services or even unsafe systems. For example,
where radiation therapy has become common, many hospitals, emphasize getting patients through
the radiation therapy clinic as quickly as possible. This emphasis on speed and production can
cause serious safety hazards [25, 44]. Thus designers of medical technology need to be aware of
the organizational environment in which the technology they design will be used.
Again, every computing professional will either be a member of one or more organizations in
their career or need to think about technology as it influences or is influenced by these
organizations.
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