Hi everyone,
I wonder if anyone can lend some literature to the impression I have from interviewing a series of software engineers that their work in technology organisations is more valuable that the work of other parts of the organisation - e.g., "management", marketing, facilities, etc.
Hi Elizabeth, Knut Rolland (Dept. of Computer and Information Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway: <knutrr@idi.ntnu.no>) now has the author's proofs of his forthcoming article, "Achieving knowledge across borders: facilitating practices of triangulation, obliterating digital junkyards¹¹" (part of a special issue of _Ethics and Information Technology_, made up of articles developed from a faculty workshop at NTNU in 2005 on Bridging Cultures: Computer Ethics, Culture, and ICT,¹¹ sponsored by the Programme for Applied Ethics at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), (May Thorseth, Director)). Rolland provides an excellent overview on literature relevant to organizational cultures, with an emphasis on computer science and engineering, and a specific focus on efforts to bridge various cultures within organizations (defined in part as _knowledge_ cultures, because they differ in their assumptions and practices as to what counts as knowledge and how knowledge is to be re-presented). His own case-study documents both a failure and an interesting success in a global organization to foster such culture-bridging collaboration, accompanied by careful analysis of the factors contributing to success / failure. I suspect that if you email him directly, he would be happy to share a version of his article with you. Good luck, and can you share your resulting bibliography with the list? cheers, charles ess Distinguished Research Professor, Interdisciplinary Studies <http://www.drury.edu/gp21> Drury University 900 N. Benton Ave. Voice: 417-873-7230 Springfield, MO 65802 USA FAX: 417-873-7435 Home page: http://www.drury.edu/ess/ess.html Information Ethics Fellow, 2006-07, Center for Information Policy Research, School of Information Studies, UW-Milwaukee Co-chair, CATaC conferences <www.catacconference.org> Vice-President, Association of Internet Researchers <www.aoir.org> Professor II, Globalization and Applied Ethics Programmes <http://www.anvendtetikk.ntnu.no/pres/bridgingcultures.php> Exemplary persons seek harmony, not sameness. -- Analects 13.23