Infrastructuring: Toward an Integrated Perspective on the Design and Use of Information Technology

Authors

Volkmar Pipek, Universität SiegenFollow
Volker Wulf, Fraunhofer-Institut für Angewandte Informationstechnik FIT and Universität SiegenFollow

Abstract

In this contribution, we investigate how results from the ongoing discussion about e-Infrastructures can be used to improve the design of IT infrastructures in organizations. We first establish a perspective on organizational IT as work infrastructure that focuses on the infrastructural nature of organizational Information Systems and describe challenges for designing within and for this type of infrastructure. Then we elaborate on possible use of concepts from the e-infrastructure discussion, in particular on the concept of infrastructuring as it was developed by Star and Ruhleder (1996) and Star and Bowker (2002). Using their “salient characteristics of infrastructure” we describe the methodological approach of Infrastructuring to develop methodological and tool support for all stakeholders’ activities that contribute to the successful establishment of an information system usage (equivalent to a work infrastructure improvement). We illustrate our ideas by drawing on a case in which new work infrastructures are introduced into an organizational context and by mapping out existing and possible tool support for infrastructuring.

Recommended Citation

Pipek, Volkmar and Wulf, Volker (2009) "Infrastructuring: Toward an Integrated Perspective on the Design and Use of Information Technology," Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 10(5), .
DOI: 10.17705/1jais.00195
Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss5/1

DOI

10.17705/1jais.00195