A Socio - Cognitive Theory of Information

Much has been written in the academic literature about designing information systems (IS) to satisfy organizational, rather than purely technical, objectives. The design of systems to address the requirements of end-users has also received considerable attention. Little has been said, however, about the relationship between these two facets of \best practice" and how they might be reconciled. This is of concern because the relationship is fundamental to the success of organizational systems, the value of which is ultimately realized through the activities of individuals and workgroups. The practical bene t of achieving an integrated approach is clear. Systems can be developed in light of the relationship between worker and organization, rather than as a result of a compromise between two `competing' viewpoints. An integrated theory would also reduce the conceptual distance between current conceptions of individuals, which tend to downplay their status as social beings, and of social organizations, which often overestimate the in uence of social organization on individuals' actions. A process of conceptual analysis and theory development that addresses this disjunction is presented in this thesis. As the main contribution of this research, the socio-cognitive theory of information systems is a rst attempt at providing an integrated treatment of IS phenomena. The theory is developed using a dialectic research method by drawing upon existing work in human-computer interaction, information systems, psychology and sociology. Following a consideration of dialectic as a research method, it is applied to existing conceptions of the individual and of social organization in these disciplines. The theory is then constructed to provide an explanation of information systems phenomena in socio-cognitive, rather than social and cognitive, terms. Having presented the theory, its potential contribution to realizing the practical bene ts of integrated approaches to IS development is illustrated through the development of a systems development lifecycle and an evaluation methodology. Recognizing that IS development is primarily concerned with the relationship between individuals and social organizations, the lifecycle model focuses attention on addressing skills issues during the development process. Extending the focus on skills and intersubjective communication, the evaluation methodology outlines a method, consistent with the socio-cognitive theory, for analysing working practices and assessing the impacts upon them of IS-related change. i Acknowledgements First and foremost, I thank Tom Gough, my supervisor, for his guidance and support throughout my doctoral studies. He is a consummate teacher and a valued friend. I am also very grateful to Simon and (soon-to-be) Sarah Rollinson for their help, support and good humour over the last couple of years and to my other friends, especially Robert Hernik, Graeme Tennyson and Jawahar Patankar. I thank my fellow students in the School of Computer Studies, particularly those with whom I have shared the ORIS lab (and the ups and downs of research) since 1995: Abdullah Akbar, Will Barrett, Keramatollah Bassiri, Jackie Carter, Simon Horton, William Hsu, Abdulwahed Khalfan, Sharifullah Khan, Allah Nawaz, Bobby Sharma, Yindong Shen, Lisa Simpson, Val eria Times and Ryan Wang. I am also grateful for the help and support I have received from many of the sta in the School of Computer Studies, particularly those from the IS research group. I have been fortunate in meeting many IS researchers who have provided me with ideas for further developing my research. Particular thanks are owed to Peter Mott of the School of Computer Studies, University of Leeds for his advice on the philosophical aspects of this research; Professor Niels Bj rn-Andersen of Copenhagen Business School for his helpful discussion of my paper at the IFIP WG8.2/8.6 conference; Dr Susan Gasson of SUNY Binghamton for advice on exploring the social psychology literature; and Professor John Ward of Cran eld School of Management for inviting me to attend his course on bene ts management. Finally, I would like to thank my parents, sisters Rachel and Chloe, step-brother Ben and the rest of my family for their patience, support and encouragement. ii