- Author
-
Hoffman, R. B.
|
Archibald, R. W.
- Title
- Introducing Technological Change in a Bureaucratic Structure.
- Coporate
- State University of New York, Buffalo
Rand Corp., New York, NY
- Report
-
P-4025
February 1969
31 p.
- Keywords
-
information dissemination
|
technology transfer
|
fire departments
- Abstract
- This paper describes some problems encountered in attempting to introduce technological change into an urban protective service agency. Since the problems were as much organizational as technical, an understanding of the particular characteristics of the reward structure in a quasi-military bureaucracy was essential to successful introduction of technological change. The study was undertaken in response to the desires of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to disseminate information developed as part of the national space exploration program. There has been a common perception that technical expertise developed in the space exploration program could, with minimal adaptation, be used in the urban sector and thus lead to improvements in the provision of urban services. In an attempt to foster technological transfer a research program was designed to enhance the possibilities of using advanced technology to improve the level and quality of urban services. In the course of the research a cooperative relationship was established with a public protective service agency and this paper describes the concepts underlying development of that relationship and the results obtained using a participative group as a basis for the relationship. First, the bureaucratic nature of the organization studied is outlined. Then two general approaches to bureaucratic change are examined. Finally, the paper is concluded with a discussion and evaluation of a task force approach to stimulating technological change in a bureaucracy.