Technological Change and Organizational Action

by University of Joensuu;

• ISBN13: 9780415265911
• ISBN10: 0415265916
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-05-16
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

This book provides fresh insights into the constantly changing technology and organizations domain. The book draws upon several perspectives such as social construction, the shaping of technology, technology as text and metaphor, communities of practice, regional studies and political processes in its theoretically informed and empirically detailed analyses of a variety of technological, organizational and work developments occurring in organizations across a range of countries.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations	ix
List of contributors	x
Preface	xi
Acknowledgements	xiv
Looking backwards and sideways to see forward: some notes on technological change and organizational action	1	(19)
Juha Laurila
David Preece
Introduction	1	(1)
Looking backwards: the incremental incorporation of organizational actors into the study of technology	2	(3)
Looking sideways: recent actor and network-focused approaches to technological change	5	(6)
Trying to see forward: some conclusions	11	(9)
The mutual shaping of technology and organisation: 'Between Cinema and a Hard Place'	20	(17)
Ian McLoughlin
Patrick Dawson
Introduction	20	(1)
Re-examining and redefining technology	21	(4)
Beyond technological determinism: technology as a social construct	25	(3)
Bringing materiality back home: the mutual shaping of technology and organisation	28	(3)
Conclusion	31	(6)
Company intranets, technology and texts	37	(19)
David Preece
Ken Clarke
Introduction	37	(1)
Adopting, using and talking about intranets	37	(3)
The case study	40	(11)
Discussion	51	(5)
ERP software packages: between mass-production communities and intra-organizational political processes	56	(21)
Christian Koch
Introduction	56	(1)
The political process approach to organizational change	57	(1)
Political programmes	58	(1)
Mass-producing communities	59	(2)
ERP: Information Technology as a political programme	61	(4)
The general results from the sample cases: mass-production communities	65	(6)
Conclusion	71	(6)
'Push people's balls and push people's balls and push people's balls until something comes out': understanding implementation as a 'configurational practice'	77	(26)
Richard Badham
Ian McLoughlin
Karin Garrety
Introduction	77	(1)
Configurational practice model	77	(10)
Case study: work redesign in a coke-making plant	87	(8)
Key issues in the configurational process	95	(5)
Conclusion	100	(3)
Normalization of risks: a stream of bow visor incidents and the Estonia ferry accident	103	(18)
Hannu Hanninen
Introduction	103	(1)
The Estonia and an error-inducing marine system	104	(1)
Acceptable risk	105	(4)
The normalization of risks	109	(3)
The stabilization of ro-ro and bow visor concepts	112	(1)
The stream of visor incidents	113	(1)
The normalization of visor risk	114	(3)
The Estonia accident revisited	117	(1)
Discussion and conclusions	117	(4)
Kicking against the pricks: corporate entrepreneurship in mature organizations	121	(26)
Oswald Jones
Introduction: managing maturity	121	(1)
From change agent to corporate entrepreneur	122	(5)
Institutional change	127	(2)
Incorporating managerial agency	129	(2)
Research methods	131	(1)
Kicking against the pricks	132	(7)
Institutionalizing change	139	(3)
Conclusions	142	(5)
Experimentation as a boundary practice in exploring technological development processes in chemistry	147	(14)
Sari Yli-Kauhaluoma
Introduction	147	(1)
Perspectives on experimentation	148	(2)
Research setting and process	150	(2)
Experimentation cycle of the catalyst	152	(6)
Conclusions	158	(3)
Regional technology systems or global networks? The sources of innovation in opto-electronics in Wales and Thuringia	161	(25)
Chris Hendry
James Brown
Hans-Dieter Ganter
Susanne Hilland
Introduction	161	(3)
Innovation in the modern world	164	(1)
Opto-electronics: technology and industry development	165	(4)
Regional policy and initiatives	169	(4)
How companies innovate	173	(8)
Discussion and conclusion	181	(5)
'We have crossed the rubicon': a 'one-team' approach to information technology	186	(17)
David Knights
Darren McCabe
Introduction	186	(2)
The case study	188	(10)
Discussion and conclusion	198	(5)
Index	203