Institutionalizing change in a high-technology optronics company: The role of information and communication technologies

Abstract

This study examines how the introduction of a collaborative technology was utilized by some institutional groups to assert their dominance over other groups during boundary crossing encounters. To do this we detail an in-depth case study of the introduction of a collaborative workflow technology in a high-technology optronics company. The workflow technology sought to establish accountabilities and responsibilities, and engender quicker lines of communication between functions. Conceptually we draw on social constructivist literature on institutional theory and argue that in addition to looking to the broad socio-economic context, institutional change needs to be understood by attending to the fine-grained practices that are undertaken by staff in organizations. Specifically we will add to the limited accounts that have considered the ways in which ICTs are inextricably interlinked with institutionalization processes.

Imbrications of institutional logics: the case of an e‐government initiative inGreece

“…Traditionally institutional theorists tend to focus their attention on identifying broad institutional characteristics, coercive means, normative pressures and mimetic tendencies to explain the similarity and legitimacy of organisational forms (Di Maggio and Powell, 1983;Greenwood and Hinings, 1996) and how institutional characteristics shape the conduct and practices of organisational actors in more or less significant ways. While not dismissing such accounts, social constructionists, our approach, suggest that much of this similarity and taken for grantedness are often enacted by mostly unnoticed situated social practices (Lounsbury and Crumley, 2007;Hayes, 2008). Social constructionists provide a fine-grained analysis of the situated practices of organisational members so as to allow for more subtle insights into how specific institutional forms become dominant and taken for granted (Townley, 2002;Zilber, 2002).…”

The Diffusion and Use of Institutional Theory: A Cross-Disciplinary Longitudinal Literature Survey

“…Examples (2001), Chatterjee et al (2002), Dill and Anderson (2003), Teo et al (2003), Cavalluzzo and Ittner (2004), Miranda and Kim (2006), Salmeron and Bueno (2006), Ituma and Simpson (2007), Liang et al (2007), Nevo et al (2007), Soares-Aguiar and Palma-Dos-Reis (2008) Descriptive/Conceptual/ Theoretical (4) Robey and Boudreau (1999), Cannon and Woszczynski (2002), Chismar & Davidson (2005), Mark (2007) Interpretive (11) Lyytinen (1998, 2001), Butler (2003), Ramiller and Swanson (2003), Tingling and Parent (2004), Sawyer et al (2005), Haughton (2006), Bala and Venkatesh (2007), Davidson and Chismar (2007), Hu et al (2007), Miscione (2007), Hayes (2008) Research methodology: Empirical vs non-empirical Empirical (24) Lyytinen (1998, 2001), Sandberg (2001), Chatterjee et al (2002), Butler (2003), Dill and Anderson (2003), Ramiller and Swanson (2003), Teo et al (2003), Cavalluzzo and Ittner (2004), Tingling and Parent (2004), Sawyer et al (2005), Haughton (2006), Miranda and Kim (2006), Salmeron and Bueno (2006), Bala and Venkatesh (2007), Davi...…”

“…They develop and test a theoretical model to investigate the (2003) Multi-method (3) Ramiller and Swanson (2003), Sawyer et al (2005), Ituma and Simpson (2007) Field study (1) Davidson and Chismar (2007) Ethnography (1) Miscione (2007) Technology and research issues studied Role of collaborative workflow technology (Hayes, 2008); e-procurement systems adoption (Soares-Aguiar and Palma-DosReis, 2008); Computerized Physician Order Entry (Davidson and Chismar, 2007); career anchors that exist in IT workers (Ituma and Simpson, 2007); IO Business Process Standards (Bala and Venkatesh, 2007); Improving IS Security ; technology adoption in health care organisations (NHS) (Currie and Guah, 2007;Mark, 2007); telemedicine introduction in Peru (Miscione, 2007); adoption of Internet business solution (Nevo et al, 2007); assimilation of enterprise systems (Liang et al, 2007); Outsourcing (Currie, 2004;Miranda and Kim, 2006); Effects of IT/IS on SMEs (Salmeron and Bueno, 2006); impact of IT investments on SMEs (Haughton, 2006); industry in IS research (Chismar & Davidson, 2005); role of ICT in residential real estate industry (Sawyer et al, 2005); enterprise technology selection and evaluation (Tingling and Parent, 2004;Liang et al, 2007); implementing performance measures innovation (Cavalluzzo and Ittner, 2004); ethics of ICT use in educational institutions (Dill and Anderson, 2003); Organising vision for IT (Ramiller and Swanson, 2003); developing and implementing intranet-and internet-based IS (Butler, 2003); adoption of IO linkages (Teo et al, 2003); crises and revolutions in IT (Cannon and Woszczynski, 2002); shaping up e-commerce (Chatterjee et al, 2002); diffusion of EDI (Teo et al, 2003;…”

“…Tingling and Parent (2004) combine institutional theory with decision theory to study the organisational evaluation-and-selection decision-making process of enterprise systems. Further, Hayes (2008) draws on the social constructivist literature on institutional theory to explore the ways in which ICTs are inextricably interlinked with institutionalisation processes. Using institutional theory and an in-depth case study of an ICT-led change project, Hayes examines how and why the values of one institutional group became dominant across an organisation.…”

More than meets the eye: working around technology in cross-boundary work contexts

“…Cordella and Iannaci, 2010;Hayes, 2008). 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 F o r P e e r R e v i e w One adopts a long-term view of IT and rationalizes its inevitable role in work practices.…”