Institutionalization of an Information System through the Exercise of Power

The institutionalisation of an information system is possible only if it is sustained and legitimated by organizational actors and individuals. The system reviewed in this study, the SIAFEM – Integrated System for State Financial Administration, is a large governmental system adopted by the State of Sao Paulo as an accounting and cash management system. Once implemented, it became institutionalized and, subsequently, underwent an expansion as a result of new requirements and following the intervention of powerful actors who made use of it as a control and surveillance tool, thus sustaining its expansion. This study intends to provide a better understanding of the process through which an information system can become institutionalised and subsequently expanded as a consequence of the exercise of power. The expansion of an information system sustained by actors who use it as an instrument to increase their power is a theme underdeveloped in the literature. Therefore, this study could represent a step further in the analysis of an institutionalised system.