ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the importance of organizational culture in relation to the diffusion of technology and in particular drawn attention to two important aspects of organizational cultures. It considers the nature of technology and innovations and considers their relationship to Geographic information systems (GIS). The chapter examines the arguments concerning technological and economic determinism and then consider these in relation to existing empirical research. The technical imperative discussed above is developed a stage further by economic determinism into a set of arguments linking technology to economic progress. The chapter focuses on the role and impact of the context into which innovations such as GIS are to be located. Technological developments have a tendency to provoke curiosity, with enthusiasts and sceptics each vociferously attempting to win the hearts and minds of potential users. The latter has many similarities to Sproull and Goodman’s notion of knowledge, as it refers to such features as accepted practices and corporate expectations.
