How does new information technology become part
of the fabric of organisational life? Drawing on insights from social studies of technology, gender studies and the sociology of consumption, Valuing Technology opens up new directions in the analysis of sociotechnical change within organisations. Based on a major research project focused upon the introduction of management of information systems in health,
higher education and retailing, I explores the active role of end-users in innovation. This book argues that it is through the , often difficult, engagement between users and technology that new computer systems come to gain value within organisations. Key themes developed through analysis of case studies include:
*the valuing of technology via the on-going
construction of needs, uses and utilities
*occupational identities, organisational inequalities and technological change
*the gendering of technological and organisational change
*interpretive flexibility and the 'stabilisation' of technological systems and their incorporation into the lives of people in organisations. A stimulating blend of the theoretical
and substantive, this book demands a radical redefinition of 'technology acquisition'. It's highly original approach makes Valuing Technology essential reading for students, lecturers and researchers within the fields of organisation studies and the sociology of technology.
By:
Janice McLaughlin,
Paul Rosen,
David Skinner,
Andrew Webster
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 216mm,
Width: 138mm,
Spine: 14mm
Weight: 385g
ISBN: 9780415192118
ISBN 10: 0415192110
Pages: 272
Publication Date: 26 August 1999
Audience:
College/higher education
,
General/trade
,
Primary
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction. Valuing Technology. Technology acquisition and consumption. Drivers of change: organisational and technological imperatives. Organisational Cultures and Identities. Administering organisational space: standardisation and malleability. Mediating change: corporate and workplace culture. Rationalising knowledge: professional identity and the construction of need. Gendered organisation, gendered technology. Finding Certainty. Making it useable: Constructions of usability. Securing stability, constructing value. Conclusions.
McLaughlin, Janice; Rosen, Paul; Skinner, David; Webster, Andrew
Reviews for Valuing Technology: Organisations, Culture and Change
"""The authors of"" Valuing Technology ...suggest that adding IT to an organization, and finding ""value"" in that technology, is a complex process that happens as much at the frontline work site as it does at the upper levels of management.American Journal of Sociology ""September 2001 ."""
