Abstract
The aim of this essay is to put forward a performative, sociomaterial
perspective on Information Systems (IS) success and failure in organisations by
focusing intently upon the discursive-material nature of IS development and use
in practice. Through the application of Actor Network Theory (ANT) to the
case of an IS that transacts insurance products we demonstrate the contribution
of such a perspective to the understanding of how IS success and failure occur
in practice. The manuscript puts our argument forward by first critiquing the
existing perspectives on IS success and failure in the literature for their inadequate consideration of the materiality of IS, of its underling technologies and of the entanglement of the social and material aspects of IS development and use. From a sociomaterial perspective IS are not seen as objects that impact organisations one way or another, but instead as relational effects continually enacted in practice. As enactments in practice IS development and use produce realities of IS success and failure.
perspective on Information Systems (IS) success and failure in organisations by
focusing intently upon the discursive-material nature of IS development and use
in practice. Through the application of Actor Network Theory (ANT) to the
case of an IS that transacts insurance products we demonstrate the contribution
of such a perspective to the understanding of how IS success and failure occur
in practice. The manuscript puts our argument forward by first critiquing the
existing perspectives on IS success and failure in the literature for their inadequate consideration of the materiality of IS, of its underling technologies and of the entanglement of the social and material aspects of IS development and use. From a sociomaterial perspective IS are not seen as objects that impact organisations one way or another, but instead as relational effects continually enacted in practice. As enactments in practice IS development and use produce realities of IS success and failure.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Grand Successes and Failures in IT. Public and Private Sectors : IFIP WG 8.6 International Working Conference on Transfer and Diffusion of IT, TDIT 2013, Bangalore, India, June 27-29, 2013. Proceedings |
| Editors | Yogesh K. Dwivedi, Helle Zinner Henriksen, David Wastell, Rahul De’ |
| Place of Publication | Heidelberg |
| Publisher | Springer Science+Business Media |
| Publication date | 2013 |
| Pages | 1-20 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9783642388613 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9783642388620 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2013 |
| Event | IFIP WG 8.6 International Working Conference on Transfer and Diffusion of IT, TDIT 2013 - Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, India Duration: 27 Jun 2013 → 29 Jun 2013 http://ifip86.iimb.ernet.in/ |
Conference
| Conference | IFIP WG 8.6 International Working Conference on Transfer and Diffusion of IT, TDIT 2013 |
|---|---|
| Location | Indian Institute of Management |
| Country/Territory | India |
| City | Bangalore |
| Period | 27/06/2013 → 29/06/2013 |
| Internet address |
| Series | IFIP AICT - Advances in Information and Communication technology |
|---|---|
| Volume | 402 |
| ISSN | 1868-4238 |