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Journal of Information Technology

Document Type

Research Article

Abstract

This paper uses a case study to illustrate and further extend the notion of ‘socially destructive systems’. Baskerville and Land define a destructive information system as either coming apart internally or threatening to take their environment apart. Building upon their insights, this paper suggests that destructive systems emerge from the very attributes that attract organisations to information systems in the first place - a phenomenon encapsulated by the so-called ‘Icarus paradox’. Icarus flew so close to the Sun that his wax wings that had enabled him to fly in the first place melted sending him plunging to his death. The case study of an insurance company shows how a system that increased claims processing productivity in the short run resulted in higher costs and lower customer satisfaction in the long run. The paradox is explained by a disconnect between ‘espoused-theory’ and ‘theory-in-use’. Issues for further research include developing techniques of impact analysis to measure recursive losses arising from ‘destructive systems’ and for gauging the level of complexity at which computer-based automation becomes counterproductive. An important recommendation for practice is that computer-based systems are efficient only to a point. For more complex tasks organisations may need to put more emphasis upon developing people.

DOI

10.1057/palgrave.jit.2000119

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