Division of Labour and the Design of Systems for Computer Support for Cooperative Work

Abstract

The design of systems which provide computer support for cooperative work (CSCW) has been dominated by models of collaborative teams in academic or design environments. Such settings are characterized by a relatively egalitarian power distribution and a division of labour established locally by the collaborating parties. This paper describes other types of collaborative work in which the rôles of participants are characterized by pre-established divisions of labour and unequal power distribution. A case study is presented of a collaborative group allocating and scheduling service calls in an electricity company. Using the Organizational Requirements Definition for Information Technology (ORDIT) methods for responsibility analysis a number of alternative organizational structures are described which may serve this task. The alternatives are based upon different job design structures which distribute responsibilities to work rôles by different rationales. An analysis is offered of the different CSCW systems that would be necessary to support these alternatives. The paper concludes by examining the implications of pre-established but variable organizational structures for the design of generic CSCW systems.