Technology and the management of change from the perspective of a culture context

The place of technology in the management of change is examined in the light of the cultural environment that mediates that relationship. The utility and limitations of such an examination are emphasized. Some factors that encouraged technological developments in the United States and some behaviors and institutional arrangements that reinforced these developments are specified. The favorable and unfavorable consequences for the management of change today are examined in the context of these persisting culture patterns. Because of the apparant inevitability of social turbulence in the next couple of decades, guiding social change to a different and appropriate valuing of technology, with corresponding changes in behavior and institutions, will require the development of social theory and technologies far beyond those presently available. The chances of succeeding seem slim.