Toward a synthesis of complex adaptive systems and actor-network theory

In this paper we consider the commensurability of complex adaptive systems theory and actor-network theory to study co-evolutionary dynamics of IS emergence. We argue that the theories are defensible meta-theoretically when deployed from the philosophical position of critical realism. We provide a brief example drawn from a case study into the emergence of the phenomenon of research management at a research-intensive university. The paper concludes by summarising the benefits of this approach