Keith S Horton
The shaping of I.T. trajectories: evidence from the U.K. public sector
Horton, Keith S; Wood-Harper, Trevor A
Authors
Trevor A Wood-Harper
Abstract
This paper reports upon I.T. initiatives in the U.K. public sector where choices were made, decisions taken, major investment authorised, and new I.T. introduced. The research investigation followed practice over several years in three Police Forces as new information technologies were introduced. We focus on these I.T. trajectories, and in particular the actions, interactions and events within and across groups of people. We argue that practices surrounding I.T. choice are socially shaped. Indeed, the choices and subsequent acquisition can be viewed as part of a process of ongoing configuration. We argue that Social Worlds Theory has much to offer in understanding what happens as I.T. trajectories evolve in organisations. The empirical part of the paper reports upon the findings from a longitudinal, cross-case analysis within the three Police Forces – institutions that are often characterised as bureaucratic in form, and culture. In each case, the I.T. trajectories were followed utilising a variety of qualitative techniques. Drawing upon social worlds theory, and boundary objects, we consider the influence of certain `objects' upon I.T. outcomes, and the way in which other boundary objects become a focus for the construction of apparent facades of formality
Citation
Horton, K. S., & Wood-Harper, T. A. (2006). The shaping of I.T. trajectories: evidence from the U.K. public sector. European Journal of Information Systems, 15(2), 214-224. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.ejis.3000611
| Journal Article Type | Article |
|---|---|
| Acceptance Date | Jan 19, 2006 |
| Online Publication Date | Dec 19, 2017 |
| Publication Date | Apr 1, 2006 |
| Deposit Date | Apr 28, 2008 |
| Print ISSN | 0960-085X |
| Electronic ISSN | 1476-9344 |
| Publisher | Palgrave Macmillan |
| Peer Reviewed | Peer Reviewed |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 214-224 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.ejis.3000611 |
| Keywords | information technology, trajectories, interaction, social worlds theory, boundary objects |
| Public URL | http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/id/eprint/2180 |