A New York bank, a Boston hospital, and a Midwest aerospace manufacturer all share a common problem. When they invested in computer networks, they thought they were buying wires and boxes. Instead, they have discovered that what they bought was a communications infrastructure.
Communication is the basis of people's interactions with one another, which is the basis of groups.
Computer networks have a powerful influence on the structure of organizations and the process of getting work done. The new reality of wired organizations is colliding with the traditional MIS view. MIS thinks about MIPS, memory, and throughput. Traditionally, these have been very different worlds. But that is changing.