Management's perceptions of the effect of end-user computer information systems on organizational structure in commercial printing companies

This descriptive study was designed to obtain senior management's perceptions of the effect of end-user computer information system (CIS) processing upon organizational structure within large commercial printing companies. The four selected aspects of organizational structure investigated included: (1) locus of decision making; (2) organizational control; (3) hierarchical structure; and (4) managerial job content.;The related literature demonstrated that firms invited to participate in this type of study would possess similar characteristics, such as location, and size of organization (Blau & Schoenherr, 1971; Carter, 1984; Hess, 1974; Whisler, 1970). The following selection criteria were employed: (1) the company's principal business was commercial printing; (2) the company was based in the United States; (3) the company employed 500 or more individuals; and it was also determined that a minimum acceptable level of end-user CIS processing was employed to each company, defined for this study as a minimum ratio of 1 end-user CIS processing terminal or computer to every 20 managers.;A questionnaire was developed, validated, and distributed to the CEOs of 63 companies which represented 100% of the research population. The findings of this study are based on a response sample of 38 companies, or 60.3% of the research population.;Four central research questions were posed: When employing end-user CIS processing, does senior management perceive: (1) the locus of decision making as being more decentralized in the organization? (2) organizational control as being more centralized in the organization? (3) a flattened hierarchical structure? (4) managerial job content as being broadened? The outcome of each central research question was determined by the outcome of four sets of secondary questions in the questionnaire. In the research findings, the data supported: a perceived decentralization of the locus of decision making, with the number of decisions reported as increased at both the supervisory and middle management levels; a perceived broadening of managerial job content at all management levels. The data did not support: a perceived centralization of control, although a transfer of control from humans to computer was reported; or a perceived flattened hierarchical structure.