| Colleges and universities often have difficulty managing computer resources. Current reports and commissions make the same recommendations and reach the same conclusions that appeared a decade ago. The available literature provides, at best, confusing solutions to the problems associated with managing computers. It stresses structural solutions to computer-related organizational problems, including who controls the computer resource, where it fits within the organization, how it is allocated, and whether or not administrative and academic computing share facilities. The literature also decries the low level of computer literacy among students and faculty. My research suggests that organizational culture also plays an important role. It encompasses an institution's beliefs, saga, history, and symbols. The concepts of organizational culture explain much of the confusion in the literature and the continued problems with computer use in higher education.;The thesis compares and contrasts the cases, and highlights similarities and trends among them. The cases illustrate the influence of organizational structure on computer use. Personnel, facilities, and allocation policy affect how campuses use computer resources. The role of organizational culture is also apparent. Each institution's saga, values, beliefs, and history influence computer use. Culture can support computing and enhance its development, or culture can frustrate efforts. Generalizations drawn from the cases suggest how colleges and universities might apply the research.;Five colleges (Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Babson College, Simmons College, Regis College, and Wellesley College) illustrate the extent and nature of the mechanisms that link organizational structure and culture to computer use. At each site I interviewed administrators and faculty who have a role in computer management and use. Documents and evaluations of computer use were another source of information. The three types of data provided information on the structure that supports computing at the institutions, specific aspects of the culture that surrounds it, who uses it, and why they use it. Each case discussion includes a summary of the key structural and cultural influences on computer use. |
