@phdthesis { , title = {Aligning people, processes and technology: recurring issues in the design and implementation of eLearning, eHealth and eBusiness infrastructure}, abstract = {This PhD by published works explores recurring issues in the design and implementation of eLearning, eBusiness and eHealth infrastructure at scale. It takes a socio-technical systems perspective on recurring issues in design/implementation, drawing on qualitative and collaborative research over a decade. The topic is relevant to policy and practice in an increasingly digitally-mediated economy where costs and risks are high, and where the scaling of systems across multiple distributed communities reconfigures work practices in ways which have implications for implementation, for policy, for research and for professional development. The thesis reviews design and implementation problems that cut across these three domains and some of their implications in these areas. It draws conclusions about the importance of involving users more inclusively in the research, redesign and management process (a) as a means of ensuring more cost-effective design, and (b) as a vehicle for managing a change process that reconfigures, roles, risks and resource allocation. It contextualises the research in an extensive review of the literature, showing how evolving visions / paradigms have shaped the way technical and human infrastructures are aligned in system design - from closed systems through to more generative and open systems that leverage the local knowledge and agency of user communities to greater advantage. The publications contribute to the emerging body of literature on the alignment of the social and the technical in digital systems, the evolution of different paradigms, and the development of strategy in this regard. It is also intended to have more direct practical applied value in flagging the recurring socio-technical and socio-political issues that impact on the success of investments in IT in the public sector, and the potential for transfer of these experiences across domains and across regions.}, note = {School: sch\_nur Department: School of Nursing, Midwifery \& Social Care}, publicationstatus = {Unpublished}, url = {http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/id/eprint/6117}, keyword = {658 General management, HD28 Management. Industrial Management, eLearning, eBusiness, eHealth, infrastructure, digital systems;}, author = {Ure, Jenny P.} }