The duality of technology

Rethinking the consept of technology inorganizations

Wanda Orlikowski

The duality of technology?

Exists two teoretical models for the interactionbetwen technology and organizations:

Technology is an objective, external forcethat have deterministic impact on

organizational structure

Technology is the outcome of strategicchoice and social action

Orlikowski: 'The both view areincomplete.'

He wants to reconseptualize the existingteoretical models and overcome the dualisms

Sugest a new consept of technology

Propose a structuration model of technology byinvestigating the relationship between

technology and organizations

The new consept of technology

Underscores:

The socio-historical context of technology

The dual nature of technology - as objectivereality and as socialy constructed products

Two important aspects oftechnology are:

Scope – what is defined as comprisingtechnology

Role – what is the interection betweentechnology and organizations

2 views of the Scope of Technology

have shaped studies of technology:

Technology as 'hardware' – equipment,machines and instruments that humans use in

productive activities

Multiple, context-specific definitions oftechnology

The Orlikowski's 'Scope'

restricts the scope to material artifacts (variousconfigurations of hardware and software)

makes a theoretical distingction between thematerial nature of technology and the human

activities that design and use the artifacts

lookes at the material artifacts as the outcomeof coordinated human action and hence as

inherently social.

3 views of the Role of Technology

1. The „technologicalimperative“ model:

2.ignores the action ofhumans indeveloping,appropriating andchanging technology.

− Organizationaldimensions

− Technology

3 views of the Role of Technology

1.2.The 'Strategicchoice' model:

2.Technology is not anexternal object, but aproduct of ongoinghuman action, designand appropriation.

Organizational context

Technology

Decision-Makers

3 views of the Role of Technology

3. Model oftechnology as triggerof structural change:

technology is anintervention into therelationship betweenhuman agents andorganizationalstructure, whichpotentialy changes it.

OrganizationalStructure (with technology)

OrganizationalStructure(without technology)

Human agentsHuman agents

TIME

The Orlikowski's 'Role'

Orlikowski is framing the role of technology interms of a mutual interaction between human

agents and technology, and hence as bothstructural and socially constructed

The Teory of Structuration

Structuration is a social process that involvesthe reciprocal interaction of human actors and

structural features of organizations

Human actions are enabled and constrained bystructures

The structures are the results of previoushuman actions

Giddens' (1984) vsOrlikowski's(1992) Structurational

ModelGiddens (social theory field) does not explicitly

address the issue of technology in hisstructuration paradigm

Orlikowski employed Giddens' Model ofStructuration and first looks at the technology

form the point of view of structuration andconsider the thechnology as a structural property

of organizations

Giddens' (1984) theory ofstructuration

Posed at the level of society

The structurational processes are relevant atmultiple levels of analysis – interorganizational,

organizational, group and individual levels

The structurational processes describing thereciprocal interaction of social actors and

institutional properties

The Gidden's theory of structuration

Is a solution to the dilema of chosing betweensubjective and objective conceptions oforganizations; Embrace both dimensions

Human actors are enabled and constrained bystructures, structures that are result of previousactions

Structural properties consist of Rules andResourses

In the Gidden's theory ofstructuration

The recognition that actors are knowledgableand reflexive is a central premise.

Reflexivity refers to the capacity of humans toroutinely observe and understand what they are

doing while they are doing.

Giddens distinguishes 2 types ofknowledge

Discursive – the knowledge that actors are ableto articulate (what is said)

Practical – the tacit knowledge, which actors areable to draw on in actions, but unable to express

(what is simply done)

Duality of structure

Through the folowing formulation Giddensovercomes the dualizm between objective,

structural features of organizations andsubjective, knowledgable action of human

agents

Giddens' formulation of theDuality of structure

Through the regular action of knowledgable andreflexive actors, patterns of interactions

become established as standartized practices inorganizations (e.g., ways of manufacturing a

product, coordinating a meeting, or evaluating anemployee)

Giddens' formulation of theDuality of structure

Over time, habitual use of such practiceseventualy becomes institutionalized, forming the

structural properties of organizations. Thesestructural or institutionalized properties

(structure) are drawn on by humans in theirongoing interactions (agency), even as such use,in turn, reinforces the institutionalized properties.

3 fundamental elements of socialinteraction

When humans act in organizations, they createand recreate:

Meaning is created through interpretive schemsof knowledge

Power is a 'transformative capacity' of thehuman actions that changes the social and

material world Norms (from an agency perspective) are

organizational rules governing an appropriateconduct

2 main Premises of a StructurationalModel of Technology

Suggested by Orlikowski:

Duality of technology – technology is createdand chandged by human action, yet it is alsoused by humans to accomplish some action

Technology is interpretively flexible becausethe interaction of technology and organizations isa function of different actors and it is dependent

of the socio-historical context of technology'sdevelopment and use

Components of the Structurationalmodel of Technology

Human agents – technology designers, users,decision-makers

Technology – material artifacts mediating taskexecution in the workplace

Institutional properties of organizations –structural arrangement, business strategies,

ideology, culture, control mechanizms, standartoperating procedures, division of labor,

expertise, communication patterns...

Structurational model of Technology

Technology

InstitutionalProperties

HumanAgents

c

d

a

b

Type of influence:a – Technology as a

product of Human Actionb – Technology as a

Medium of Human actionc – institutional conditions

of interaction withtechnology

d – institutionalconsequences ofinteraction withtechnology

Structurational model of Technology

Technology

InstitutionalProperties

HumanAgents

c

d

a

b

Arrow aType of influence -

Technology as a productof Human Action

Nature of influence –technology is anoutcome of such humanaction as design,development,appropriation, andmodification

Technology is a product of humanaction (arrow a)

The Interpretive flexibility of technologyoperates in two modes of interaction:

In the Design mode – human agents build intotechnology certain interpretive schemes

In the Use mode – the users always have theelement of control when interacting with the

technology

Structurational model of Technology

Technology

InstitutionalProperties

HumanAgents

c

d

a

b

Arrow bType of influence:

Technology as a Mediumof Human action

Nature of influence:Technology facilitates and

constrains human actionthrough the provision ofinterpretive schemes,faciliteies, and norms

Structurational model of Technology

Technology

InstitutionalProperties

HumanAgents

c

d

a

b

Arrow cType of influence -

institutional conditions ofinteraction with technology

Nature of influence –Institutional propertiesinfluence human in theirinteraction with technology,f. ex., intentions,professional norms, state ofthe art in materials andknowledge, designstandarts, and availableresources (time, money,skills)

Structurational model of Technology

Technology

InstitutionalProperties

HumanAgents

c

d

a

b

Arrow dType of influence -

institutionalconsequences ofinteraction withtechnology

Nature of influence –interaction with technologyinfluence the institutionalproperties of anorganization, throughreinforcing or transformingstructures of signification,domination, andlegitimation

Structurational model of Technologyin use

Orlikowski is interpreting the findigs of a fieldresearch study in a large, multi-national software

consulting company – Beta Corporation

What the structuration model inpractice means?

The diverse interactions with technology mayboth shape and be shaped by new forms of

organizing.

Thank you!