Conclusions

It was noted in Chapter 1 that more research into cross-national comparisons on IT use in organisations was required. Based on the recent rapid development of IT since the 1980s, much research has been conducted on the relationship between IT and organisational structure in order to clarify whether technology determines organisation structure, or if there is space for an organisational designer to develop an organisational structure of their choice in an organisation. Some studies have attempted to focus on the theme at an international level, and some have drawn useful implications about national cultural influences on organisational structure – Sorge et al. (1983), Sorge and Warner (1986), Clark (1987), Clark and Staunton (1989), Sorge (1995), Lam (1997) and Bensaou and Earl (1998) for instance. However, few studies have tried to illuminate the specific relationship between national culture and organisational IT use in a factory. In other words, a cross-national comparison has been needed to illuminate whether or not national culture can affect organisational IT use, and if so how such influences operate in real terms. In view of this, the overall objective of the study has been to explore the question of national cultural influences and investigate organisational mechanisms through which national culture may influence IT use in a factory, employing empirical data collected from British and Japanese factories. To examine the extent previous studies have clarified the theme, a review of these previous studies was undertaken in Chapter 2: the general relationship between technology and organisation; national cultural influences on IT use; and specific British/Japanese cultural influences on IT use.