Organisations as Social and Work Structures

There is a wide field of organisational studies, which tries to understand how organisations develop and are maintained as social structure and how people interact within them. A lot of the theory we can draw from organisational studies is very relevant to information system management.

Question 1. Structuration theory, developed by Anthony Giddens in his book, "The Constitution of Society", connects the actions of human agents and the structure of social systems. The fundamental concepts involve humans communicating to define and reinforce the significance and meaning of phenomena, the use of power, including the ability to allocate capital and human resources, which establishes and reinforces power structures, and giving the social structure legitimacy through drawing on standards and norms of behaviour. Using a diagram, explain the basic concepts of structuration theory. (Note: It is not necessary to draw on Gidden's original explanation which is complex, rather draw on simpler descriptions provided by information systems researchers such as Geoff Walsham and Matthew Jones.) Explain how structuration theory can be used to illuminate the effect of information systems in organisations. How do information systems mediate the interaction between the individual and the organisation? Present a case study of an information systems implementation which is explained using structuration theory. What are the limits of structuration theory? Does it provide any practical insights form information systems managers?

Question 2. Institutional theory looks at the wide range of social values that affect organisations, and how organisation structure can be social constructed to legitimate social goals. Institution is ‘a social order or pattern that has attained a certain state or property' and institutionalization, ‘denotes the process of such attainment'. Information systems research that examines the relation between organisations and information systems has found value in drawing on institutional theory. Identify the problems that institutional theory attempts to address.Provide some definitions and identify some key concepts. Explain the concepts of organisational isomorphism and the role of coercive, mimetic and normative processes. Why are these concepts useful in understanding information systems? Demonstrate their use by drawing on a case study. What are your conclusions about the practical application of institutional theory for information systems managers?

Question 3. Activity theory has its origins in the work of Vygotsky in the 1920s and has been further developed by Engestrom at the University of Helsinki where he developed it as a way of understanding how work should be organised. It is a theory of learning which seeks to understand how a wide range of factors influence activity. Essentially, it considers an entire work system in which subjects(s) undertake activities to achieve an object, which may be a material object such as an information systems, and will result in outcomes. Artefacts and rules are applied with a community where there is a division of labour. Activity theory has recently been used to develop models to understand information systems development and deployment. Using a diagram, explain the main concepts of activity theory. Briefly give some history of activity theory and its usage outside information systems. What is the value of activity theory in understanding the role of information systems within work systems? Using a case study, give an example of the use of activity theory in information systems research. How can activity theory help information systems managers

Question 4. Sociomateriality: Information systems research has tended to study the social aspects of information systems and the technology separately. Sociomateriality suggest that they cannot be separated, that the social and the technology can rather be described as being entangled. The concepts of sociomateriality extend actor network theory and try to unite social and technical studies. Briefly identify the problem sociomateriality attempts to deal with. Explain the concept of entanglement using the example of a call centre interaction. What other ideas does sociomateriality provide? What is wrong with sociomateriality? Does it have any value in information systems management practice?

Question 5. Complexity theory: "Many of society's most pressing problems fall far from the confines of disciplinary research. Complex problems require novel ideas that result from thinking about non-equilibrium and highly connected complex adaptive systems. We are dedicated to developing advanced concepts and methods for these problems, and pursuing solutions at the interfaces between fields through wide-ranging collaborations, conversations, and educational programs. Organisations may be seen as complex adaptive systems, networks of interaction in which the information system resides. Treating information systems as parts of complex systems can produce new insights, better explanations of phenomena, and ways of improving their use. The study of non-linear dynamic systems, chaos theory, is one branch of complexity which has been applied to information systems. Define complexity theory. With reference to the Santa Fe Institute, outline some of the main ideas. Explain how complexity theory can be useful. What are the difficulties with applying the ideas of complexity theory to information systems? Also why do managers find the ideas so difficult? Using a case study, explain how chaos theory can inform our study of information systems. How might an understanding of chaos theory help information system managers?

Question 6. Sensemaking: Since Sensemaking has been under development since 1972, it cannot be explained in a few sentences. It is important to know that the project has been based on three central assumptions regarding communication practice: a) That it is possible to design and implement communication systems and practices that are responsive to human needs; b) That it is possible for humans to enlarge their communication repertoires to pursue this vision; c) That achieving these outcomes requires the development of communication-based methodological approaches. Outline some of the main concepts of this theory. Find a case study and describe its main results with regards to the use of the information system. What is the value of this theory in the study of information systems?

Question 7. System Theory: System theory is the transdisciplinary study of the abstract organization of phenomena, independent of their substance, type, or spatial or temporal scale of existence. It investigates both the principles common to all complex entities, and the (usually mathematical) models which can be used to describe them. A system can be said to consist of four things. The first is objects - the parts, elements, or variables within the system. These may be physical or abstract or both, depending on the nature of the system. Second, a system consists of attributes - the qualities or properties of the system and its objects. Third, a system has internal relationships among its objects. Fourth, systems exist in an environment. A system, then, is a set of things that affect one another within an environment and form a larger pattern that is different from any of the parts.