Opening the Blackbox of ‘Fitness for Use’: The Role of IT Implementation in Perceiving Information Quality

This article explains the role of adoption and adaptation of information technology in shaping and constructing the perception of information quality by information consumers. A qualitative and interpretive study has been conducted among Iranian organizations that faced problems in implementing Western developed software applications in Iran’s institutional context. We have been exploring how the lack of institutional linkage between the technology developers and technology users which already made implementation process a challenging one for the users may affect their perception of information quality. Drawing on Social Studies of Technology and the theory of social learning, we have provided more insight into the mentioned dynamics. We conceptualize the impact of implementation of information technology on the dynamics of shaping perception of information quality by suggesting the following mechanisms: adapting and domesticating a generic type of information technology from other institutional contexts, experiencing context-specific information quality issues by using the appropriated information technology, and affecting the perception of information and its fitness to the context of use