A STUDY OF SELECTED OKLAHOMA CITY AND TULSA, OKLAHOMA, BUSINESSES TO ASSESS COMPETENCIES NEEDED BY FUTURE EMPLOYEES IN AUTOMATED OFFICES (TECHNOLOGY

Scope of Study. The purpose of this study was to supply information for developing innovative, relevant curriculum for the automated office field. The study was designed to assess the competencies required of future employees performing technical functions in automated offices.;The survey instrument designed to gather data for this study was a four-page questionnaire dealing with the two categories: (a) automated equipment or function usage in word processing, data processing, reprographics, records management, and telecommunications and (b) the perceived importance of competencies needed in each of the five automated function areas. The questionnaires were mailed to a random sample of the members of the Oklahoma City and Tulsa chapters of the Data Processing Management Association and the Administrative Management Society. Chi-square analysis of the data was administered to determine significant relationships.;Major Findings and Conclusions. (1) The types of automated functions performed in Tulsa and Oklahoma City were found to be similar; therefore, similar training could be supported in both locations. (2) Automated functions between intrastate and interstate structured organizations were found to vary in categories other than records management. (3) The various types of business organizations were found to vary in the use of certain areas of office automation. (4) The size of the business organization was found to affect the use and function of various areas of office automation. (5) The perceived importance of competencies needed for automated functions according to location and type of the business organization was found to be similar. Because of rapidly advancing technology, additional studies in each of the five automated office function categories were recommended to provide additional information for curriculum development.