uired in organizations, because the functions can be accomplished by senior management with computer support.
The elimination of most middle managers and the placing of a greater reliance on information systems technology leads to the need for changes in an organization's structure (Byrne, 1992, p. 50).
Thomas Malone and John Rockart (1991, pp. 128 136) argued that the advent of intensive computer networking in the corporate business setting will transform the internal structure and functioning of business organizations, and will fundamentally alter the way such organizations interact with their external environments. The authors postulated that such transformation will occur through a hierarchy of effects resulting from the implementation of computer network technology.
The first order effect in the effects hierarchy is the substitution of information technology for human coordination. An increased use of coordination is the second order effect, while the third order effect is a shift in organizational structure to one
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