Abstract
This study looks at metaphors from the perspective of cognitive metaphor theory. Using the theory developed by Lakoff and Johnson (1980) we examine the use of metaphors by project members in an information system (IS) project. The data was collected from 22 interviews. Interviews were conducted with a range of stakeholders, including representatives of users, software developers, experts and IT and service managers. The findings of this qualitative case study indicate that IS developers and experts use many kinds of metaphors to make sense of the IS project they work on. The findings also show that metaphor is pervasive in IS development work, not just in language but also in thought and
action and various metaphors are used to make sense of the different phases of the project. It can be argued that the dominant metaphors of any given project will strongly affect the trajectory of the project. Thus the metaphors in use in a project should be a concern for project management and we suggest that emphasizing constructive metaphors could be beneficial for many projects.
action and various metaphors are used to make sense of the different phases of the project. It can be argued that the dominant metaphors of any given project will strongly affect the trajectory of the project. Thus the metaphors in use in a project should be a concern for project management and we suggest that emphasizing constructive metaphors could be beneficial for many projects.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | ECIS 2014 Proceedings |
| Editors | Michel Avital, Jan Marco Leimeister, Ulrike Schultze |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Place of Publication | Atlanta, GA |
| Publisher | Association for Information Systems. AIS Electronic Library (AISeL) |
| Publication date | 2014 |
| Article number | Paper 1070 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9780991556700 |
| Publication status | Published - 2014 |
| Event | 22nd European Conference on Information Systems, ECIS 2014: Digital Work, Digital Life - David Intercontinental Hotel, Tel Aviv, Israel Duration: 9 Jun 2014 → 11 Jun 2014 Conference number: 22 http://ecis2014.eu/ |
Conference
| Conference | 22nd European Conference on Information Systems, ECIS 2014 |
|---|---|
| Number | 22 |
| Location | David Intercontinental Hotel |
| Country | Israel |
| City | Tel Aviv |
| Period | 09/06/2014 → 11/06/2014 |
| Internet address |
| Series | Proceedings of the European Conference on Information Systems |
|---|---|
| ISSN | 0000-0034 |
Cite this
Hekkala, R., Stein, M-K., & Rossi, M. (2014). It Was a War that Wore Out Both Men and Women: Metaphors in an Information System Project. In M. Avital, J. M. Leimeister, & U. Schultze (Eds.), ECIS 2014 Proceedings [Paper 1070] Association for Information Systems. AIS Electronic Library (AISeL). Proceedings of the European Conference on Information Systems http://aisel.aisnet.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1070&context=ecis2014