An Action-Oriented Perspective of Information Systems in Organizations

Despite the best efforts of researchers and practitioners, information system (IS) failures continue to occur. IS projects are not carried out in isolation, and organizational factors can affect the project outcome. Using a case study conducted at a large, multinational organization, this research investigates the roles users perceive an information system to play. The purpose is not to animate the information system and give it life of its own, but rather, to make explicit the socially constructed roles conferred on the information system by the users. The role which an individual perceives an information system to be playing is determined by three factors: the combination of business knowledge and information systems knowledge of the individual, the socially constructed image of the information system, and the functionality provided by the information system.