Rhetoric of Enrollment and Acts of Resistance: Information Technology as Text

Wilson, Melanie

doi:10.1007/978-0-387-35634-1_12

Cited by 11 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Suchman & Bishop (2000) examined discourses of ‘innovation’ that function to conserve rather than change existing institutional orders. Wilson (2002) used the social shaping of technology approach to examine discrepancies between ‘legitimate’ rhetoric and the actual use of the system. Kvasny & Trauth (2002) conducted a critical analysis of the responses from under‐represented groups compared with the dominant discourses about power and found that these groups had different responses for coping with the notion of IT as a vehicle of power.…”

Section: Relevant Research and Theoretical Framingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining technology, structure and identity during an Enterprise System implementation

Alvarez

2008

Information Systems Journal

100

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This paper presents a longitudinal study of an Enterprise System (ES) implementation by critically examining the discursive context in which an ES implementation unfolds. The findings show that users strongly supported the ES in the earlier stage of implementation when the technology was an imaginary phenomenon. However, in later stages, when the technology is in use, user support was not consistent. In this phase the ES produces loss of control and an inability to function as an arbiter of fairness (in allocating resources associated with the system) thereby directly challenging existing professional identities and roles. These outcomes, in turn, generate acts of resistance on the part of workers. Users reach inside the technology and reshape it by devising creative workarounds that produce a sense of reskilling to counter the deskilling produced by the loss of control and power. The analysis also shows that an ES is a complex social phenomenon that is intricately linked to and complicit in shaping organizational structure and identity. In particular this study shows how technology, structure, and identity are in a mutually constitutive relationship.

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Section: Relevant Research and Theoretical Framingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining technology, structure and identity during an Enterprise System implementation

Alvarez

2008

Information Systems Journal

100

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“…These include organizational politics, recognition of legitimate stakeholders or a lack of respect for others (cf. Schiller, 1999; Keil et al ., 2002; Wilson & Howcroft, 2002; Wilson, 2003).…”

Section: Ethics Morality and Critical Research In Ismentioning

confidence: 99%

The ethical nature of critical research in information systems

Stahl¹

2008

Information Systems Journal

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Critical research in information systems is based on and inspired by ethics and morality. In order to support this proposition, this paper will suggest a way of classifying critical research that differs from definitions common IS research. According to the current definition, research is critical when it is motivated by the intention to change social realities and promote emancipation. Based on this critical intention, critical research is furthermore characterized by critical topics, critical theories, and critical methodologies. Using these criteria of critical research, the paper argues that critical research is ethical in nature. To support this view, the paper introduces the concepts of ethics and morality by analysing two traditions of moral philosophy, here called the 'German tradition' and the 'French tradition'. Using three examples of current critical research in information systems, the paper will show that ethics and morality strongly influence critical intention, topics and theories. Having thus established the ethical nature of critical research, the paper concludes by discussing the weaknesses of critical research from the point of view of ethics and morality.

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“…First, I want to emphasize that the utilization of this metaphor does not imply that I suggest that IT artifacts actually are (only) texts, but instead I suggest that interesting issues can be revealed while considering them as texts. Regarding existing research utilizing this metaphor, in some studies IT artifacts have already been perceived as texts and their reading analyzed to some extent; both representations of IT and representations inscribed in IT have been analyzed [8,10,24,56]. However, in this paper the reading of the IT artifact texts is not explored, since the focus is solely on the writing context.…”

Section: Theoretical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…in [8,24,54,56]). It is assumed that in IT artifact development texts (IT artifacts) are written (developed), after which they are read (used).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the work of an HCI practitioner

Iivari

2006

Proceedings of the 4th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction: Changing Roles

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Users should be involved in the development of information technology (IT) artifacts. However, this is challenging, especially in product development context, in which Human Computer Interaction (HCI) practitioners tend to be hired to 'represent the users' in the development. However, also their work has proven to be challenging. This paper analyzes their work by utilizing a metaphor of IT artifacts as texts and their development as writing. It is assumed that during writing the IT artifact texts 'users are configured'. HCI practitioners are to contribute to the 'configuration of the user'. However, divergent roles are assigned to these practitioners, both in theory and in practice. Therefore, both theoretical and empirical analyses of the work of the HCI practitioners are carried out, and implications both for theory and practice are discussed. Particularly the semiotic approach introduced in this paper and its implications on HCI theory are reflected on.

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Rhetoric of Enrollment and Acts of Resistance: Information Technology as Text

Cited by 11 publications

References 37 publications

Examining technology, structure and identity during an Enterprise System implementation

Examining technology, structure and identity during an Enterprise System implementation

The ethical nature of critical research in information systems

Understanding the work of an HCI practitioner

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