Understanding software solutions in the routines of administrative employees of an oil company

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to understand how administrative employees of an oil company perceive the role of software solutions in their routines. Design/methodology/approach: Starting from an interpretive perspective, we used the phenomenographic method to analyze software solutions based on users’ experience, by means of 20 interviews carried out between November 2020 and May 2021. Findings: Interviewees ranked the function of software solutions in their routines in three categories: (1) information repository; (2) orchestration mechanism and (3) guidelines for action. Four explanatory dimensions were identified: (1) artifact performance; (2) configuration between actors; (3) degree of automation and (4) accountability aspects. Research limitations/implications: The results expand knowledge on the role of software solutions in organizations. As players consider software essential to their routines, human agency in actions tends to decrease. Furthermore, the incorporation of digital elements in routines varies, based on how actors perceive their integration, from external tools to dominant elements that shape actions. Practical implications: Respecting the autonomy of the actors involved in automated routines; ideally, automating routine steps that add value to the process. Originality/value: The study explores the function of software solutions in organizational routines through the phenomenographic approach, presenting different concepts of that event.