Exploring information system (IS) driven organisational change: the interplay between IS and organisational work routines

© 2012 Dr. Fei PengUnderstanding the way an Information system (IS) changes an organisation is challenging. A large number of studies have been conducted to understand the secret behind obtaining desirable results from IS projects, however little consensus has been established in the field to date. A review of the literature shows that once introduced, information systems (IS) create a reciprocal, emergent and dynamic interplay with the organisation. This complex interplay in turn drives organisational change. In the currently literature, this interplay between the information system and the organisation has not been well addressed especially in the field of healthcare. There is a lack of detailed understanding about the process of organisational transformation after the introduction of an IS and there is a lack of understanding about the changes in the IS itself. This lack of understanding contributes to the difficulty in successfully managing organisational change projects that are implemented by introducing IS. A longitudinal in-depth single case study was conducted over a period of nine months in a major emergency and trauma centre to explore these issues. This study was designed to investigate the development of organisational change after the introduction of an information system using work routine as the study focus. Over 400 hours of observations and 20 interviews were carried out during the investigation period. The study findings were investigated and triangulated using both qualitative and quantitative methods. This research developed a model of IS and work routine change to explain the interplay that drives organisational change. This study has effectively broken down the work routine construct and closely examined the detailed changes that occurred over time by adopting Giddens’ structuration theory and Feldman’s conceptualisation of work routine. This model demonstrates that the interaction between IS and organisations is a cross-level phenomenon spanning across the individual, group and organisational level and involving three distinctive phases of development, the resource evaluation phase, the experimental adaptation phase and the structural realignment phase. This research offers a richer and deeper understanding of the intricate interplay between IS and the organisational work routine. The detailed investigation provides a systematic and practical way of managing IS projects for better achievement of intended business goals