ABSTRACT
Often system designers encounter the consequences of culture when an implemented system is not used as intended or does not live up to the users' expectations. This is obviously too late a recognition of the importance of the culture existing in workplaces. We advocate the study of workplace cultures in relation to design of computer systems. In this chapter, the authors give examples and guidelines for how to study workplace cultures. In one project, three designers, in collaboration with journalists, conducted a survey to study the possibilities of computer support of editorial and administrative tasks in the editorial section at a Danish radio station. During the survey, it became clear to the designers that some of the ideas for computer support envisioned by the journalists conflicted with the conditions established by the organization.
