The Improvisation Effect: A Case Study of User Improvisation and Its Effects on Information System Evolution

Few studies have examined interactions between IT change and organizational change during information systems evolution (ISE). We propose a dynamic model of ISE where change dynamics are captured in four dimensions: planned change, improvised change, organizational change and IT change. This inductively-generated model yields a rich account of ISE and its drivers by integrating the four change dimensions. The model shows how incremental adjustments in IT and organizational processes often grow into a profound change as users improvise. We demonstrate the value of the dynamic model by illustrating ISE processes in the context of two manufacturing organizations implementing the same system over a study period of five years. This paper makes its contribution by holistically characterizing improvisation in the context of IT and organizational change. Our ISE model moves research in organizational and IT change towards a common framing by showing how each affects the other’s form, function and evolution.