1. HOW SHOULD TECHNOLOGY-MEDIATED ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE BE EXPLAINED? A COMPARISON OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF CRITICAL REALISM AND ACTIVITY THEORY.
- Author
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Allen, David K., Brown, Andrew, Karanasios, Stan, and Norman, Alistair
- Subjects
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ORGANIZATIONAL change , *CRITICAL realism , *DISRUPTIVE innovations , *INFORMATION storage & retrieval systems , *TECHNOLOGY & society , *AMBULANCE service dispatching , *COMPUTER network resources , *EMERGENCY medical services - Abstract
In this paper, critical realism and activity theory are compared within the context of theorizing technology-mediated organizational change. An activity theoretic analysis of the implementation of large-scale disruptive information systems in a public sector setting (in particular concerning paramedic treatment of heart attack patients and ambulance dispatch work activity) is used to illustrate how activity theory makes a significant contribution to critical realism, by (1) locating technology within "activity systems" and theorizing change through contradictions and congruencies within those systems; (2) developing recent critical realism-inspired theorization of the "inscription" of cultural and social relations within technology; and (3) developing recent insights of critical realist researchers regarding the way in which the performance management agenda is mediated through IS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2013