The Effect of Interpretive Schemes on Videoteleducation's Conception, Implementation, and Use    

Often, new technologies are seen as artifacts whose use is obvious. This study, which builds on Weick's notion that all technologies are equivocal, challenges that assumption. Using a case approach, this research examines how various groups at Far West, a professional school, interpret the implementation of a two-way video and audio videoteleducation (VTE) distance learning system and analyzes why different groups interpreted the technology in fundamentally different ways. From this case data, a model is created that examines the effects that dominant organizational groups' interpretation and thus conceptualization of VTE have on its system design, support, training, and rewards; measures of effectiveness; and rule generation.

Suchan, Jim. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (2001). Articles>Technology

How Academic Organizational Systems and Culture Undermine Scholarship and Quality Research: A Response to Ron Dulek    

I now believe that the architects of a university's systems have extraordinary power and leverage to shape academic life in ways faculty often are only dimly aware of. Finally, we can help change the talk or narrative in our organizations about publications and reshape it to discussions about rewarding a blend of scholarship, research, publication, teaching, and service. Changing organizational talk is extremely difficult. Determining leverage points or openings for new language is hard to determine. Also, it's a challenge to determine ways to make that different language contagious, to make it stick. But I believe the challenge is worth pursuing, and it's work we should be good at. As Malcolm Gladwell (2000) points out in The Tipping Point, new language can be contagious, small actions can have big effects, and change can occur fast. In fact, if I were to step back into my Arcadian world of innocence where truth and beauty reigned, I might even believe that our colleagues and even our academic administrators have grown tired of the research bean-counting game and would welcome a new language, a different conversation, and a more growth-inducing set of values about the work we do.

Suchan, Jim. JBC (2008). Articles>Publishing>Research