IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hal/journl/hal-01648122.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Sociomaterial regulation in organizations: The case of information technology

Author

Listed:
  • François-Xavier de Vaujany

    (DRM - Dauphine Recherches en Management - Université Paris Dauphine-PSL - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Vladislav Fomin

    (VDU - Vytautas Magnus University - Vytauto Didziojo Universitetas)

  • Kalle Lyytinen

    (Case Western Reserve University [Cleveland])

  • Stefan Haefliger

    (Cass Business School - Cass Business School)

Abstract

Information technology (IT) is used to regulate organizational processes both to allow and to prevent specific behavior. Recent scandals in the financial industry exposed overconfidence in IT based regulation and, as scholars of regulation have long known, the games people play increase with the number of rules in place. To explore the practices in organizations with a broad perspective we define sociomaterial regulation as the relationships between the rules, the IT artifacts, and the practices. A new theoretical terminology around the three relationships (materialization of rules in IT artifacts, interdependency between IT artifacts and practices, and coupling in time between rules and practices) helps to explore a large case study of the implementation of an e-learning system in a French university over a five years period. The study reveals five modalities of sociomaterial regulation which can be understood using the three relationships: functionality-, tool-, role-, procedure-, and social process-orientation play out very differently for the organization in terms of the change in practices, the sources of control (hierarchical versus emergent), and innovation activity. We discuss implications for management and policy.

Suggested Citation

  • François-Xavier de Vaujany & Vladislav Fomin & Kalle Lyytinen & Stefan Haefliger, 2013. "Sociomaterial regulation in organizations: The case of information technology," Post-Print hal-01648122, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-01648122
    DOI: 10.5465/AMBPP.2013.83
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-01648122
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://hal.science/hal-01648122/document
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.5465/AMBPP.2013.83?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. David Tilson & Kalle Lyytinen & Carsten Sørensen, 2010. "Research Commentary ---Digital Infrastructures: The Missing IS Research Agenda," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 21(4), pages 748-759, December.
    2. Augustin Landier & David Sraer & David Thesmar, 2009. "Financial Risk Management: When Does Independence Fail?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 99(2), pages 454-458, May.
    3. repec:dau:papers:123456789/677 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Gerardine DeSanctis & Marshall Scott Poole, 1994. "Capturing the Complexity in Advanced Technology Use: Adaptive Structuration Theory," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 5(2), pages 121-147, May.
    5. Suddaby, Roy & Cooper, David J. & Greenwood, Royston, 2007. "Transnational regulation of professional services: Governance dynamics of field level organizational change," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 32(4-5), pages 333-362.
    6. M. Lynne Markus, 1994. "Electronic Mail as the Medium of Managerial Choice," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 5(4), pages 502-527, November.
    7. Wanda J. Orlikowski & C. Suzanne Iacono, 2001. "Research Commentary: Desperately Seeking the “IT” in IT Research—A Call to Theorizing the IT Artifact," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 12(2), pages 121-134, June.
    8. François-Xavier de Vaujany, 2011. "A New Perspective On The Genealogy Of Collective Action Through The History Of Religious Organisations," Post-Print hal-00644412, HAL.
    9. William G. Ouchi, 1979. "A Conceptual Framework for the Design of Organizational Control Mechanisms," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 25(9), pages 833-848, September.
    10. Emmanuelle Vaast & Natalia Levina, 2006. "Multiple Faces of Codification: Organizational Redesign in an IT Organization," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 17(2), pages 190-201, April.
    11. JoAnne Yates & Wanda J. Orlikowski & Kazuo Okamura, 1999. "Explicit and Implicit Structuring of Genres in Electronic Communication: Reinforcement and Change of Social Interaction," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 10(1), pages 83-103, February.
    12. Wanda J. Orlikowski, 2000. "Using Technology and Constituting Structures: A Practice Lens for Studying Technology in Organizations," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 11(4), pages 404-428, August.
    13. Wendy K. Smith & Michael L. Tushman, 2005. "Managing Strategic Contradictions: A Top Management Model for Managing Innovation Streams," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 16(5), pages 522-536, October.
    14. Frank Blackler, 1993. "Knowledge And The Theory Of Organizations: Organizations As Activity Systems And The Reframing Of Management," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(6), pages 863-884, November.
    15. repec:dau:papers:123456789/4821 is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Wanda J. Orlikowski, 1992. "The Duality of Technology: Rethinking the Concept of Technology in Organizations," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 3(3), pages 398-427, August.
    17. Alistair Mutch, 2010. "Technology, Organization, and Structure---A Morphogenetic Approach," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 21(2), pages 507-520, April.
    18. Wanda J. Orlikowski, 1996. "Improvising Organizational Transformation Over Time: A Situated Change Perspective," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 7(1), pages 63-92, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. repec:dau:papers:123456789/13054 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. François-Xavier de Vaujany & Vladislav V. Fomin & Stefan Haefliger & Kalle Lyytinen, 2018. "Rules, Practices, and Information Technology: A Trifecta of Organizational Regulation," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 29(3), pages 755-773, September.
    3. Olivier Desplebin & Gulliver Lux, 2018. "The evolution of accounting, control, audit and their practices through the prism of the Blockchain: a prospective reflection [L'évolution de la comptabilité, du contrôle, de l'audit et de leurs mé," Post-Print hal-01907902, HAL.
    4. Adel Beldi & Walid Cheffi & Frédéric Wacheux, 2006. "L'utilisation de l'information comptable par les managers. Proposition d'une grille d'analyse fondée sur la théorie de la structuration," Post-Print halshs-00548085, HAL.
    5. Pamela J. Hinds & Diane E. Bailey, 2003. "Out of Sight, Out of Sync: Understanding Conflict in Distributed Teams," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 14(6), pages 615-632, December.
    6. Kummitha, Rama Krishna Reddy, 2020. "Why distance matters: The relatedness between technology development and its appropriation in smart cities," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    7. Khuong, Le-Nguyen & Harindranath, G. & Dyerson, Romano, 2014. "Understanding knowledge management software-organisation misalignments from an institutional perspective: A case study of a global IT-management consultancy firm," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 226-247.
    8. François-Xavier de Vaujany & Nathalie Mitev & Matthew Smith & Isabelle Walsh, 2017. "Renewing Literature Reviews in MIS Research? A Critical Realist Approach," Working Papers hal-01648133, HAL.
    9. Marie-Claude Boudreau & Daniel Robey, 2005. "Enacting Integrated Information Technology: A Human Agency Perspective," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 16(1), pages 3-18, February.
    10. Brian T. Pentland & Martha S. Feldman, 2007. "Narrative Networks: Patterns of Technology and Organization," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(5), pages 781-795, October.
    11. Sébastien Tran, 2010. "Quand les TIC réussissent trop bien dans les organisations : le cas du courrier électronique chez les managers," Post-Print halshs-00638824, HAL.
    12. Kai Riemer & Stefanie Filius, 2009. "Contextualising Media Choice Using Genre Analysis," Business & Information Systems Engineering: The International Journal of WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK, Springer;Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), vol. 1(2), pages 164-176, April.
    13. Andrew Burton-Jones & Camille Grange, 2013. "From Use to Effective Use: A Representation Theory Perspective," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 24(3), pages 632-658, September.
    14. Orlikowski, Wanda J. (Wanda Janina), 1999. "Technologies-in-practice : an enacted lens for studying technology in organizations," Working papers WP 4056-99., Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Sloan School of Management.
    15. Viju Raghupathi & Raquel Benbunan-Fich, 2020. "A Social Capital Perspective on Computer-Mediated Group Communication and Performance: An Empirical Study," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 29(4), pages 747-801, August.
    16. Denolf, Janne.M. & Wognum, Nel P.M. & Trienekens, Jacques H. & van der Vorst, Jack G.A.J. & Omta, S.W.F. (Onno), 2012. "Towards a Supply-Chain Instrument to Monitor an Information Technology Implementation," 2012 International European Forum, February 13-17, 2012, Innsbruck-Igls, Austria 144968, International European Forum on System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks.
    17. François-Xavier de Vaujany, 2005. "Information Technology Conceptualization: Respective Contributions of Sociology and Information Systems," Post-Print hal-00644428, HAL.
    18. Robert G. Fichman, 2004. "Real Options and IT Platform Adoption: Implications for Theory and Practice," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 15(2), pages 132-154, June.
    19. Martha S. Feldman, 2004. "Resources in Emerging Structures and Processes of Change," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 15(3), pages 295-309, June.
    20. Emmanuelle Vaast & Geoff Walsham, 2009. "Trans-Situated Learning: Supporting a Network of Practice with an Information Infrastructure," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 20(4), pages 547-564, December.
    21. repec:dau:papers:123456789/4907 is not listed on IDEAS
    22. Luciana Cingolani & Tim Hildebrandt, 2022. "Incentive Structures for the Adoption of Crowdsourcing in Public Policy: A Bureaucratic Politics Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-16, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-01648122. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: CCSD (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.