Anticipating Organizational Change: A Positioning Theory Perspective

This study is reporting on the extended period prior to implementation of the largest ever Health IT implementation in Denmark – Sundhedsplatformen. Preliminary analysis of data points to the need to take into consideration what I call the anticipatory phase. The study argues that the anticipatory pre-adoption phase is where individuals prepare for pending changes through positioning. It is as such an early stage where sensemaking is based e.g. on vague strategic messages from management, hear-say-information and experiences from the past IT implementations, rather than on factual and up-to date information about specific changes or concrete experience.