FACING THE DIGITAL WORLD CONNECTING A PERMANENTLY CHANGING INTERNET TO RIGID ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURES Wolfgang Ebbers … Neo, sooner or later you're going to realize, just as I did, there's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path. The Matrix (The Wachowski Brothers, 1999) Cover Design: Indra Simons Cover Photo: Indra Simons Page Layout: Belastingdienst - beladoc Printing: Ted Gigaprint ISBN 90-365-1792-3 Copyright © 2002, Wolfgang Ebbers, The Netherlands, Arnhem All rights reserved. Subject to exceptions provided for by law, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. No part of this publication may be adapted in whole or in part without prior written permission of the author. Wolfgang Ebbers [email protected] www.isiweb.nl/ebbers FACING THE DIGITAL WORLD CONNECTING A PERMANENTLY CHANGING INTERNET TO RIGID ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURES met een samenvatting in het Nederlands PROEFSCHRIFT ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Universiteit Twente, op gezag van de rector magnificus, prof. dr. F.A. van Vught, volgens besluit van het College voor Promoties in het openbaar te verdedigen op woensdag 4 september 2002 te 15:00 uur. door Wolfgang Erich Ebbers Geboren op 3 juni 1969 te Winterswijk Promotores: Prof. dr. J.A.G.M. van Dijk, Faculteit Wijsbegeerte en Maatschappijwetenschappen, Universiteit Twente. Prof. dr. J. Groebel, European Institute for the Media. Table of contents 1 Table of contents Preface 3 Introduction 5 Summary 9 1. Theoretical Framework 19 1.1. Theoretical background 19 1.1.1. Organisation 22 1.1.2. Communication 25 1.1.3. Interacting via the Internet 33 1.1.4. The research aim 49 1.2. Setting the sights 53 1.2.1. Research units and characterisation 53 1.2.2. Hypotheses 66 1.2.3. The central research questions 75 1.2.4. Graphical overview of the theory 77 2. A case study 81 2.1. Introduction 81 2.2. Research type 81 2.2.1. Typological account 81 2.2.2. Origin 82 2.2.3. Restrictions 83 2.3. Research location of the case study 83 2.4. Adaptation of initial aim and research units 87 2.5. Sampling methods 87 2.6. Data collection methods 90 2.6.1. Methodological account 90 2.6.2. Participant observation 92 2.6.3. Open interviews 93 2.6.4. Collecting documents 94 2.7. Registration and documentation of the data 94 2.7.1. Participant observation 95 2.7.2. Open interviews 96 2.7.3. Collecting documents 97 2.7.4. Documentation 98 2.8. Analysis of the data collection 99 2.9. Validity 103 3. Results 107 3.1. Virtual Front Office 107 3.1.1. Information services 109 3.1.2. Communication services 113 3.1.3. Transaction services 116 3.1.4. Distribution services 118 3.2. Organisational structure 119 3.2.1. Strategic variables 119 3.2.2. Design variables 122 Facing the Digital World - Connecting a permanently changing Internet to rigid organisational structures Table of contents 2 3.3. Internal communication structure 126 3.3.1. Vertical communication flows 126 3.3.2. Horizontal communication flows 129 4. Conclusions 131 4.1. Answering the research questions 131 4.2. Graphical overview of the research answers 144 4.3. Revisiting the fundamental statements 146 4.4. Defining categories and further research 150 5. Discussion 157 5.1. The Administration facing the Digital World 157 5.2. Discussing the conceptualisations of communication 160 5.3. Organisations facing the Digital World 162 Bibliography 169 Appendix A - Half structured interviews 177 Appendix B - Free attitude interviews 179 Appendix C - Additional data on www.belastingdienst.nl 187 Appendix D - Samenvatting in het Nederlands 191 Facing the Digital World - Connecting a permanently changing Internet to rigid organisational structures Preface 3 Preface This book you are holding right now is the result of six years work. A very great deal has been accomplished as a private expedition, during spare time and on my own expences. I spent many lunchbreaks, nights, weekends, holidays and savings. Why is that, you ask? I am not quite sure. Was it because I wanted to stand up next to a mountain and chop it down with the edge of my hand? Or was it because I wanted to give something back to the world since that very world is giving so much to me? I don’t know. I forgot. I guess it’s not important anymore. What’s important is that the work is done… But I’ll be back, not to worry }:-) Don’t think that I would have accomplished this journey on my own. Not a chance! I never would have survived this without my father, mother and sister, Ayesha, Bert, Bol, Daphne, Florian, Geraldine, Jan, Jan-Dirk, Janet, Joke, Jos, Liesbeth, Marly, Paul, Peter, Pieter-Bas, de Postkade, Ria, Susan, Sylvester, Theo, and Ton. You gave me the necessary appreciation, courage, understanding, and wisdom to do the things I do and to be who I am. I never would have started this without the help of three very special men: Barend Houtsmuller, Bert Mulder, and Dick Springorum. You were the ones who pointed directions and helped me getting started. And I thank all the Avatars from the Digital World for entertaining me while I was at work, no matter time or place. Keep rolling! An organisation that hasn't been extinct due to implementing the Internet obviously found its way in dealing with it. Learning about how such an organisation struggled in the interaction with a new environment can be helpful to other organisations that face the same environment called the Digital World. The organisation in which my explorations took place boldly allowed its struggle to be witnessed. For which I am grateful. Therefore, I would like to thank: Jenny Thunnissen-Tommel and Joop van Lunteren for granting me to perform a case study on the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration; my former colleagues of the Editorial Internet Office for their patience. Richard van Breukelen and Rinus Schillemans for making it all possible; Karl Lovink, Tony van den Broek, Agnes Wassink, Nico Nagtzaam, Andrea Nelissen, Hans van Rossum, Mr. Sebregts and Rob Pijpers for not getting annoyed in spite of all my trivial requests for facts and figures. I especially would like to thank Indra Simons, Dingeman Schakel, Harm-Jan van Burg, and Liesbeth Weijs for checking the stuff I wrote. I would like to thank both Jan van Dijk and Jo Groebel for giving me the necessary inspiration, guidance, and last but not least for taking the risk to be my promotores. And finally and foremost, I would like to thank Indra. I never could have completed this work without your support, faith, and most of all, love. Wolfgang Ebbers, September 2002. Facing the Digital World - Connecting a permanently changing Internet to rigid organisational structures Preface 4 Facing the Digital World - Connecting a permanently changing Internet to rigid organisational structures Introduction 5 Introduction It is the year 2002. Yes, we survived the millennium bug. Actually, none of the predicted catastrophes occurred. As a matter of fact, we will probably never be able to prove what happened to us. Was it a giant hoax, or did a giant taskforce lead us into the new millennium? Anyway, as I walk into the dawn of this new era, I have to admit that it looks as if nothing has really changed in the first place. The birds are still singing, children are still playing outside and if I am lucky, my car won't give up on me today and my computer operating system will only crash four instead of six times within the next 24 hours. Nothing has really changed, huh? Who am I kidding? It seems to me that my natural habitat has changed completely! Why haven't I noticed! It is only five years ago that I logged onto the web for the first time! When I was a child, the only computer-like communication device around was my broken transistor radio which could easily pass for Spock's communicator at the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701! Nowadays, however, we are surrounded by computers and fat server-thin client components. We can go downtown and stick a telephone card into an Internet console at the post office to check our e-mail. We can even use our cellular phones for the same purpose. We communicate, socialise, co-work, learn and even make a profit via the Internet and the technology that surrounds it. However, as soon as there is a network-crash at the office, our work suddenly comes to a standstill. When virtual learning-spaces lack question- and-feedback features, we are no longer able to get a decent grip on our students’ learning results. And the moment the web site of our company crashes, its virtual front office no longer exists, and therefore the company doesn't exist - for a short period of time anyway. By inventing the Internet we created a Digital World that links individuals and groups such as companies together, no matter time or place. We not only created a new reality, but we changed the old reality as well. Almost no physical barrier, no national law or monetary system, no cultural set of values nor organisational rule or convention prohibits us from contacting a possible customer, competitor or fellow human being anywhere on this planet. However, it seems that the Digital World is now turning its back on us.