A Meta-Theory for Understanding Information Systems Within Sociotechnical Systems

Information systems (IS) research often attempts to examine and explain how technology leads to outcomes through usage of IS. although extensive research in this area has resulted in a significant number of theories, limited work has been done on integrating these theories. this paper presents adaptive structuration theory (aSt) as a meta-theory for examining IS within an organizational context. the two main contributions of the paper are an understanding of meta-theory’s role in IS and building a case for using aSt as a meta-theory to (1) provide an overarching perspective for understanding and integrating existing literature and theories, (2) provide a template and set of guidelines for creating better context-specific IS models and theories, and (3) provide a deeper understanding of a theory. along with discussion of the contributions, we provide examples to guide researchers in applying aSt as a meta-theory. Key woRDs anD PhRases: adaptive structuration theory, conceptual model, meta-theory, technology-mediated learning, virtual teams. the Role of infoRmation systems (is) inteRventions in organizational change, especially as vehicles of enhanced business and managerial efficiency, has been a source of a large investment of time and money in organizations and a hot research topic. IS researchers have often struggled to produce a coherent generalizable understanding of IS in organizations, in part due to either focusing too much on technology at the expense of social elements of IS [51] or failing to adequately address the technical role of technology as an artifact [13]. a large amount of research points to this longtime research lack of integrated focus on both the social and technical subsystems in an organizational work system [14, 63, 67]. a work system is a system in which human participants and technology perform processes to produce products or services for internal or external customers [4]. Example work systems include a sales department, a commercial loan process, a systems development team, and a university. Sociotechnical systems (StS) theories view any organizational work system as consisting of social and technical subsystems, interacting with and influencing each other. as such, they offer a potential solution for the need in IS for more integrated theories. In StS theories, the technical subsystem consists of the business processes and the technologies (IS, machines, techniques, etc.) used to perform those processes. the technical subsystem transforms the system inputs into outputs in a way that enhances the overall performance of the organizational work system. the social subsystem is composed of the individuals and the knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, and needs they bring to the work environment, as well as the reward system and authority structures that exist in the organization. the social subsystem integrates into the technical system to help perform the transformation. StS theories argue that desired results can only be achieved if the interdependency of these subsystems is explicitly recognized and addressed. StS models for organizational intervention and improvement have a long history in European management practice and research. Meanwhile, many North american a MEta-thEORY FOR uNDERStaNDING IS WIthIN SOcIOtEchNIcaL SYStEMS 19 IS studies produce theories that focus on a smaller number of StS constructs, often addressing either the technical or social subsystems in isolation, that only explain/ predict empirical results in a narrow context [23]. the accumulated StS literature shows marked improvement for effective change, easier worker transitions, and improved productivity over either a technical or a social view alone; but it also presents IS researchers and practitioners with daunting complexity [4, 5, 81, 118]. IS researchers have recognized the challenge of integrating IS findings in narrow contexts into larger theories that address both social and technical dynamics at individual, group, or organizational levels [69]. Such integration would be enabled by meta-theoretical understandings that describe and relate the elements of both the technical and social subsystems. Meta-theoretical discussions exist in IS reference disciplines such as library science [50], marketing [11], and management science [80]; however, these discussions have been limited in the IS literature. arguments outlining the need for these types of integrative theories have recently emerged in prominent IS journals and conferences where researchers have called for a “good grand theory” or a meta-theory for IS [23, 41, 69, 106]. this paper has two goals. First, it identifies and presents the elements required in a meta-theory. Even though a number of papers discussing the constituents of a theory exist in IS literature [8, 127], the concept of meta-theorizing has not been adequately addressed. Without a clear understanding of what constitutes a meta-theory, a theory that links across theory domains, we argue that IS will continue to suffer from narrow studies whose findings cannot be related. Second, the paper discusses how adaptive structuration theory (aSt) can serve as a meta-theory for understanding IS within StS (organizational work systems) that offers a solution to a core IS research need. aSt derives from structuration theory with the addition of specifically accounting for the presence and effects of technology artifacts. aSt research has had a considerable effect on IS research, with more than 65 studies conducted since 1983 [60]. Recent reviews on structuration theory [60] and aSt [95] have noted aSt’s importance for IS research and called for further application. at the same time, they give little indication as to how to derive the metatheoretical value aSt has for understanding StS. under our second goal, we present how aSt can be used to accomplish the three main applications of a meta-theory: provide an overarching perspective, facilitate theory development, and provide a deeper understanding of a theory. We provide an IS example of each application as a guideline for future research.