Innovative Use of Computers for Planning in Human Service Organizations

Summary This paper deals with the question of why some human service organizations are more innovative in their use of computers than others, particularly in the area of strategic planning. Rather than focus upon the technology, per se, it explores the propensity for and context within which human service managers apply computers to matters of strategic importance. It begins with a summary of the two dominant theoretical traditions within which organizational behavior has been viewed. These contrasting perspectives are then applied to the extensive body of empirical findings related to organizational innovation. The result is a discernment of key variables or variable clusters, which provide the basis for alternative accounts of innovative behavior. The emergent use of computers for strategic planning serves as the focus of the study.