Abstract
Institutional pressures and technological adaptation have frequently been expressed as contrasting forces that explain organizational processes and actions. Institutional arguments suggest that environmental pressure, deriving from regulative, cognitive, and normative forces predict organizational action (or inaction), and impel organizations to favor legitimacy over efficiency. Theories addressing the use of technology view technological adaptation as the organizationís response to competitive and efficiency demands. We argue here that structuration theory, by incorporating a temporal dimension, reveals an important intersection between institutional theory and a theory of technology use. Specifically, we develop a theoretical model that reveals interactions between technology, organizations, and institutions. Further, we suggest that institutional forces and technological adaptation are related by virtue of their common structurational foundations, within varying, but interrelated, time scales, and that both impact organizational behavior. In doing so, we seek to develop a hybrid theoretical perspective integrating the fields of organizational theory and information systems with the hope that it suggests new ways of analyzing technological and organizational change.
Recommended Citation
Haggerty, Nicole and Golden, Brian, "Theorizing Technological Adaptation as a Trigger for Institutional Change" (2002). ICIS 2002 Proceedings. 22.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2002/22