Employing the Agency/structure Debate as an Integrative Framework for Knowledge Management Research

Within the management literature, the agency-structure debate has its origins in parallel philosophical discussions of free will versus determinism. This has had an implicit yet important effect on much of knowledge management systems (KMS) research. Structure and agency are generally considered to be opposites. Emphasis on structure implies a dominant role for technology but often a reduced role for the social actor, while an emphasis on agency implies a dominant role for the social actor and a reduced role for technology. These conceptualizations of agency/structure represent extreme views of the interacting role of the individual/group and IT in knowledgeable practice.