Between Eternity and Actualization: The Difficult Co-Evolution of Fields of Communication in the Vatican

Abstract

Most research on structuration or the appropriation of ICT in organizations has put aside the problem of dyschronies. It has not taken into account the differences in nature, speed, and temporality of changes that co-exist within an organization. To address this limitation, the author of this paper suggests a model based on the theory of practice and neo-institutionalist perspectives, so as to make sense of the co-evolution of intra-organizational fields. This model, which proposes a balance between various institutional tensions, has been worked out inductively from a longitudinal case study on communication fields within the Roman Curia, the administrative headquarters of the Catholic Church located in the Vatican. These tensions are related to socio-technical, socio-theological, socio-organizational, and socio-economic areas. A set of propositions regarding the link between intra-organizational fields and tensions and the relationships between intra-organizational fields (parallel, convergent, and competing evolutions) is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]Copyright of Communications of AIS is the property of Association for Information Systems and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)