The Use of Structuration Theory and Actor Network Theory for Analysis

2012 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Tiko Iyamu ◽  
Dewald Roode
Keyword(s):  
Network Theory ◽  
Structuration Theory ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Human Action ◽  
Prima Facie ◽  
It Strategy ◽  
Actor Network ◽  
Global Competitiveness ◽  
Fresh Perspective ◽  
Actor Networks

In the current climate of global competitiveness, many organisations are increasingly dependent on their IT strategy – either to increase their competitiveness, or often just to survive. Yet little is known about the non-technical influencing factors (such as people) and their impact on the development and implementation of IT strategy. There would therefore seem to be prima facie evidence that there is a need for a new approach to examining the relationships between social factors, technology and the organisation with respect to the development and implementation of IT strategy. This article seeks to make a contribution in this regard. Structuration Theory and Actor-Network Theory were employed to analyse how non-technical factors influence IT strategy. Structuration Theory holds that human actions are enabled and constrained by structures. Structures are rules and resources that do not exist independently of human action, nor are they material entities. Giddens describes them as ‘traces in the mind’ and argues that they exist only through the action of human beings. Actor Network Theory (ANT) provides a fresh perspective on the importance of relationships between actors that are both human and non-human. By their very presence, actors work to establish, maintain and revise the construction of organisational networks of aligned interests and gradually form stable actor-networks. ANT emphasises the heterogeneous nature of actor-networks which consist of and link together both technical and non-technical elements.

The Use of Structuration Theory and Actor Network Theory for Analysis

2010 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiko Iyamu ◽  
Dewald Roode
Keyword(s):  
Network Theory ◽  
Structuration Theory ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Human Action ◽  
Prima Facie ◽  
It Strategy ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Actor Network ◽  
Global Competitiveness ◽  
Actor Networks

In the current climate of global competitiveness, many organisations are increasingly dependent on their IT strategy—either to increase their competitiveness, or often just to survive. Yet little is known about the non-technical influencing factors (such as people) and their impact on the development and implementation of IT strategy. There would therefore seem to be prima facie evidence that there is a need for a new approach to examining the relationships between social factors, technology and the organisation with respect to the development and implementation of IT strategy. This article seeks to make a contribution in this regard. Structuration Theory and Actor-Network Theory were employed to analyse how non-technical factors influence IT strategy. Structuration Theory holds that human actions are enabled and constrained by structures. Structures are rules and resources that do not exist independently of human action, nor are they material entities. Giddens describes them as ‘traces in the mind’ and argues that they exist only through the action of human beings. Actor Network Theory (ANT) provides a fresh perspective on the importance of relationships between actors that are both human and non-human. By their very presence, actors work to establish, maintain and revise the construction of organisational networks of aligned interests and gradually form stable actor-networks. ANT emphasises the heterogeneous nature of actor-networks which consist of and link together both technical and non-technical elements.

An Actor-Network Analysis of a Case of Development and Implementation of IT Strategy

2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 35-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiko Iyamu ◽  
Arthur Tatnall
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Prima Facie ◽  
It Strategy ◽  
Actor Network ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
Technical Factors ◽  
Human Actors ◽  
The Impact

Increasingly, many organizations are highly dependent on support from Information Technology (IT). Even though Carr has controversially argued that IT does not matter, there seems to be prima facie evidence that even the most ambitious business vision still needs IT to enable it. As such, there has been much focus and emphasis on technologies, and less attention on non-technical components in the development and implementation of IT strategy. This study is focused on the connection between the technical and nontechnical, including the relationships between actors in the development and implementation of IT strategy. This article describes how Actor-Network Theory (ANT) was employed to investigate the impact of non-technical factors on the development and implementation of IT strategy in an organization. ANT was used as it can provide a useful perspective on the importance of relationships between both human and non-human actors. Another example: design and implementation of a B-B web portal, is offered for comparison.

The Impact of Network of Actors on the Information Technology

2011 ◽  
pp. 234-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiko Iyamu ◽  
Arthur Tatnall
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
It Strategy ◽  
Web Portal ◽  
Computing Environment ◽  
Actor Network ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
Human Actors ◽  
The Impact

Organisations’ reliance on Information Technology (IT) is rapidly increasing. IT strategy is developed and implemented for particular purposes by different organizations. We should therefore expect that there will be network of actors within the computing environment, and that such network of actors will be the key to understanding many otherwise unexpected situations during the development and implementation of IT strategy. This network of actors has aligned interests. Many organizations are developing and implementing their IT strategy, while little is known about the network of actors and their impacts, which this paper reveals. This paper describes how Actor-Network Theory (ANT) was employed to investigate the impact of network of actors on the development and implementation of IT strategy in an organisation. ANT was used as it can provide a useful perspective on the importance of relationships between both human and non-human actors. Another example: design and implementation of a B-B web portal, is offered for comparison.

Recursive approaches to technology adoption, families, and the life course: actor network theory and strong structuration theory

2018 ◽  
pp. 41-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey Mead ◽  
Barbara Barbosa Neves
Keyword(s):  
Technology Adoption ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Structuration Theory ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Actor Network ◽  
Strong Structuration Theory ◽  
Strong Structuration ◽  
The Life Course

This chapter examines two recursive approaches to the study of technology adoption within families and the life course: actor network theory (ANT) and strong structuration theory (SST). These recursive approaches explain the reciprocal relationship between social structure and agency in the context of technology use over time. ANT rejects any dualism between technology and society, whereas SST combines structure, agency, and context to offer a comprehensive analysis of users, technologies, and their situational dimensions. The chapter first provides an overview of the theoretical commitments ANT and SST entail for the researcher before discussing the ways in which each has been, and can be, applied in the domains of family and life course studies. It also presents two case studies to illustrate the opportunities and challenges that both recursive approaches bring with them in framing and explaining relationships between technology use, family life, and life transitions.

Beyond ANT

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Till Jansen
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Fundamental Problem ◽  
Human Agency ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Actor Network ◽  
Theoretical Design ◽  
The Social ◽  
Actor Networks

Actor-Network-Theory (ANT) offers an ‘infra-language’ of the social that allows one to trace social relations very dynamically, while at the same time dissolving human agency, thus providing a flat and de-centred way into sociology. However, ANT struggles with its theoretical design that may lead us to reduce agency to causation and to conceptualize actor-networks as homogeneous ontologies of force. This article proposes to regard ANT’s inability to conceptualize reflexivity and the interrelatedness of different ontologies as the fundamental problem of the theory. Drawing on Günther, it offers an ‘infra-language’ of reflexive relations while maintaining ANT’s de-centred approach. This would enable us to conceptualize actor-networks as non-homogeneous, dynamic and connecting different societal rationales while maintaining the main strengths of ANT.

scholarly journals How can the loggerhead sea-turtle survive? Exploring the journeys of the Caretta caretta using ANT and critical realism

Organization ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 781-799 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joe O’Mahoney ◽  
Hannah O’Mahoney ◽  
Ismael Al-Amoudi
Keyword(s):  
Network Theory ◽  
Critical Realism ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Caretta Caretta ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Ecological Interactions ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtle ◽  
Actor Network ◽  
Critical Realist ◽  
Actor Networks

The endangered loggerhead sea-turtle ( Caretta caretta) nests on the shores of the Mediterranean, but faces threats to its existence from a variety of sources. Answering the question of how this species can survive is complex as it involves examining the relationships between the turtle, its natural environment, local tourists, property developers, conservation organisations, governments and law-makers. We argue that actor-network theory provides a powerful methodology for tracing these relations and identifying crucial actors which enable the survival of this animal. Using a rich ethnography and drawing on insights from 116 interviews, we trace three actor-networks that highlight factors important to the survival of the species. Yet, we also highlight the conceptual difficulties that result from using an actor-network theory ontology for understanding socio-ecological interactions and argue that these may be ameliorated by embedding the actor-network theory methodology within a critical realist ontology. We argue that this engagement between critical realism and actor-network theory offers researchers a powerful method for understanding relations between socio-ecological actors while overcoming some of the theoretical difficulties of actor-network theory.

scholarly journals Bibliotekarerne - en profession der former og formes af et aktør-netværk

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 4-20
Author(s):  
Trine Schreiber
Keyword(s):  
Network Theory ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Actor Network ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Actor Networks ◽  
Ethnographic Methodology ◽  
Data Collection Procedure

Using actor network theory (ANT) as a starting point, the aim of the paper is to describe relationships between heterogenous actors in a particular kind of library work and to discuss how these relationships might potentially be part of a preliminary actor-network representing a profession of librarianship. The particular kind of library work involved in the discussion is user teaching and -guidance in libraries affiliated with educational institutions. The paper draws on this particular kind of work to illustrate the use of ANT in a discussion about the profession of librarianship. The data collection procedure has been guided by ethnographic methodology considerations. As an actor-network, a profession is not a static entity organised around fixed connections. It is undergoing shifts in character as new actors or relations are forged and old ones wear out. Regarding the particular kind of library work, the paper has a focus on actors such as librarians, teachers, students, digital technologies, and political paradigms of control. The author examines how librarians in the particular kind of library work create and maintain relationships with teachers and students. The paper provides a description of the ways influential actors such as digital technologies and political paradigms of control intervene in these processes. The paper concludes that through these relationships, new areas of work and new understandings of professions are under way to be established. These processes might lead to an actor-network intertwined with those many other actor-networks that librarians in general are involved in because of other practices and relationships.

scholarly journals Using actor-network theory to reveal strategy processes in design firms

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison RIEPLE ◽  
Antonius VAN DEN BROEK
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Digital Design ◽  
Strategy Development ◽  
Actor Network ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Actor Networks ◽  
Design Firms

In this paper we illustrate the utility of actor-network theory (ANT) as a methodological approach to understand the effect of the eclectic characteristics of design firms on their strategy development processes. The need for creativity, expertise knowledge and the constant need to innovate suggest that the mainstream strategy or decision-making theories provide unsatisfying insights into how strategy of the design firm emerges. These culture laden organisations often operate with limited formality, therefore require attention to the social side of decision-making. To address this rich complex social-fabric of decision-making, we suggest to study strategy development as the result of the formation of actor-networks. By illustration of data collected from 13 interviews with design firms in mainly Europe and a longitudinal study of a global digital design firm, we illustrate how an ANT-based approach allows theorists to analyse the rich cultural complexity of design firms’ decision-making in a focused and coherent manner.

Combining Actor-Network Theory and the Concept of Ecosystem Services to Assess the Development of Arctic Shipping Routes

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Fabienne Kürner ◽  
Caroline Kramer ◽  
Hartmut Klüver ◽  
Stefan Norra
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Power Relations ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Actor Network ◽  
Social Sphere ◽  
The Social ◽  
Arctic Shipping ◽  
Actor Networks

Global warming alters the Arctic on different ecological and social levels, including rising resource availabilities and shifting power relations. In this geographical area, the natural sphere, which is based on the geographical spheres of the earth, and the social sphere are strongly interwoven and therefore sensitive to even small alterations, as a case study of Arctic shipping routes will highlight. The principles of Actor-Network theory enable the investigation of interdependencies, resulting in an equal treatment of both mentioned spheres. Based on this theoretical background and a qualitative literature research, mediators of Arctic actor-networks located in the overlapping zone between these spheres have been identified. An enlarged ecosystem services approach was then adopted to develop a methodology to quantify these mediators and the power relations around them. Apart from the equality of the natural and the social, crediting both higher influences over the respectively other domain, mental entities were recognized as core-elements of Arctic networks, further linking the natural and the social sphere. Moreover, global, regional and local interdependencies have been included into the analyses, contributing ultimately to a wider understanding of actor-networks of the High North, which is of importance to scientists, public and policy makers in order to cope future global challenges, like climate change.

Critical Realist Information Systems Research

2011 ◽  
pp. 811-817
Author(s):  
Sven A. Carlsson
Keyword(s):  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Structuration Theory ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Actor Network ◽  
Critical Realist ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Information Systems Research

The information systems (IS) field is dominated by positivistic research approaches and theories (Chen & Hirschheim, 2004). IS scholars have pointed out weaknesses in these approaches and theories and in response different strands of post-modern theories and constructivism have gained popularity— see, Lee, Liebenau, and DeGross (1997) and Trauth (2001). The approaches argued for include ethnography, constructivism, grounded theory, and theories like Giddens’ structuration theory and Latour’s actor-network theory. (We refer to these different research approaches and theories as “post-approaches” and “post-theories” when distinction is not required).

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