TECHNOLOGY, POWER, AND STRUCTURE - DEVELOPING A MODEL OF THE EFFECTS OF AUTOMATION ON LIBERAL-ARTS COLLEGE LIBRARIES

Based upon theories of organizational structure and power, especially the strategic contingencies theory of intraorganizational power, a mod el of organizational power and technology within liberal arts colleges is developed, tested, and modified. The model includes measures of su bunit (library) power, environment, extent of automation, organization al structure, and bases of power. Data on 487 liberal arts college lib raries collected from the 1982 HEGIS survey, the 1990 IPEDS survey, an d two mailed questionnaires provided limited support for the proposed model of intraorganizational power. Changes in the amount of library a utomation caused changes in several of the bases of power of the libra ries. Analyses of a modified model of intraorganizational power and te chnology showed that as automation and the environmental variables inc reased, subunit bases of power increased, and all of these directly in creased library power. Thus, automation can be a change agent within o rganizations, causing changes in structure, in the bases of power, and in power itself.