Organizational metamorphoses of technological change: Computer systems integration in a Colombian health organization

Abstract

This paper seeks to characterize the organizational metamorphoses emerging in a technological change process, specifically when a new computer system is created in a health organization. The research adopts the concept of metamorphosis in order to examine the transformations in the integration of a computerized system for medical records in a health service institution in the city of Medellín, Colombia. For that purpose, an interpretive case study was performed using semi-structured interviews with healthcare professionals from different areas of the organization, information technology support personnel, and managerial and administrative staff. Three organizational metamorphoses derived from the integration of this computer system were identified: i) skills and knowledge of staff, ii) roles and communication flows, and ii) work controls and information management. This study allows concluding that technological organizational changes are present, rearrange the content of work, shape social interactions and structural frameworks, and, in the case of health organizations, establish new ways of understanding the role of care and medical assistance.