Page 188 - Sustainability Communication Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Theoritical Foundations

Chapter 15
Computer Support for Cooperative

Sustainability Communication

Andreas Möller

Abstract The following chapter explores computers and communication in
organizations from the language-action perspective (LAP). This helps clarify the
role of email, instant messaging and online social networks in organizations. But the
most important result is that two different forms of coordination of action can
be distinguished – communication-based and delinguistified – together with possi-
ble transitions between the two. A two-phase approach to sustainable development
in organizations is presented. Based on Habermas’s theory of communicative action,
it is argued that sustainability communication is necessary to overcome traditional
generalized actions in conflict with sustainable development. This also requires
appropriate computer support.

Keywords Computer • Language-action perspective • Theory of communicative
action • Computer support • Sustainability communication

Traditional Relevance of Computers in Organisations

Before discussing the relationship between computers and communication, it is
helpful to ask how computers are used in organisations. This seems to be a simple
question. Computers are information systems and support rational decision-making.
Information instruments are called management information systems (MIS) or deci-
sion support systems (DSS) (Keen and Scott-Morton 1978; Orman 1984; Gerson
et al. 1992). DSS cover a wide range of functions; “they might simply provide sum-
maries of data; they might forecast future developments in the context of present
circumstances or they might simulate the future after some postulated action has

A. Möller (*)
Institute for Environmental and Sustainability Communication,
Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany
e-mail: moeller@uni.leuphana.de

J. Godemann and G. Michelsen (eds.), Sustainability Communication: Interdisciplinary 171
Perspectives and Theoretical Foundations, DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-1697-1_15,
© Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011