Using a Database in an Organization

This paper considers databases in hierarchically structured organizations from two perspectives: the work they require and their varying value as a tool to accomplish the task at hand. A large firm that set up a system for assisting agents moving to a new job has developed a database to manage the files of the moving agents. It is used by mobility consultants who are encouraged to see it as a useful tool for their work. However, they do not consider this application as a tool supporting their professional activity but rather as a traceability instrument. Their cooperation in providing data to the database stems from their perception that the database is a useful tool for the central services of the firm.