Contingencies or cognitions? Two paths for research on organization and technology

This article reviews and criticizes the treatment of the concepts of technology in organization theories. It pays special attention to how authors of the contingency school interpret empirical results concerning relationships between technology and organization structure. When authors have encountered contradictory results, they attempt to find flaws in previous research and to ask for methodologically more precise research. As this way of dealing with anomalies yields little fruit in the long run, organization theorists need new frameworks for investigating the significance of technology for the design of organizations. An actor-oriented approach can frame investigations into the cognitive processes dissolving or modifying the relationships.