Toward a methodology for managing information systems implementation: A social constructivist perspective

Abstract

This paper argues that our approach to managing the implementation of information technologies is often dependent on how we frame the implementation problem. The paper first traces the dominant ways of framing the implementation problem that are evident in the literature, and through this historical analysis, identifies the Leavitt's diamond for representing organizations as the integrative conceptual model underlying much of the current implementation literature. Next, by drawing on the notions of objective and subjective realities from the arena of sociology of knowledge, the paper further develops the diamond model and uses it as a frame for informing the implementation of code-generators in a hypothetical organization. The richer understanding enabled by the enhanced diamond model proposed in the paper leads to the formulation of some broad guidelines for managing the implementation of "interpretively flexible" information technologies. These guidelines are summarized in four steps: 1) self-understanding through self-reflection, 2) identification and understanding of all important stakeholder groups, 3) identification of stakeholders who are likely to resist, and 4)modifying the objective or subjective realities as appropriate.