Self-destructive dynamics in large-scale technochange and some ways
of counteracting it
Information Technology & People, 19 (1):
74-97 (2006)Abstract
Purpose Seeks to raise the question of why large-scale technochange
is difficult and often
failure-prone and to attempt to answer this question by viewing technochange
as an instance of
institutional change and design in which self-destructive mechanisms
are inherently embedded.
Design/methodology/approach In order to explore the complex institutional
dynamics of
large-scale technochange the paper uses the exploration/exploitation
framework originally developed
by March and extended by Lanzara to the study of institution-building
processes in the political
domain. The argument is that problems in implementing large-scale
technochange stem from learning
dilemmas in the inter-temporal and inter-group allocation of material
and cognitive resources. The
paper uses a case of large-scale technology in a major US university
system to illustrate the
institutional perspective on technochange.
Findings It is argued and illustrated that the development and redesign
of large-scale information
systems involve both the exploration of alternative institutional
arrangements and the exploitation of
pre-existing ones, such that a delicate balance must be struck to
overcome incoherences and dilemmas
between the two activities.
Research limitations/implications The proposed framework to understand
large-scale
technochange is not examined empirically. The illustration of the
framework relies on a single
large-scale system project of a non-profit organization in the USA.
Further empirical work and
comparative research on multiple cases are needed.
Practical implications The paper discusses some sources of the failures
of large-scale
technochange and offers three interrelated mechanisms to counteract
such failure sources, namely
focal points, increasing returns, and bricolage. These counteracting
mechanisms may help
organizations to effectively deal with the dilemmas of exploration
and exploitation in technochange.
Originality/value This paper fills the gap in understanding the
nature of large-scale
technochange, providing an explanation of why it is difficult and
failure-prone and offering some
modest proposals for intervention in large-scale system projects.
Keywords Change management, Organizational change, Organizational
culture, Information systems,
Design and development, United States of America