Dynamics of information technology implementation: A reassessment of paradigms and trajectories of development

Abstract

Concepts of technological paradigms and trajectories have been advanced to explain patterns of technical innovation and their implications for work organization and content. This article examines three existing technologies where some trajectory has been imputed—computer numerical control (CNC) machine tools, robotics and office automation—and one emerging technology—computer-aided production management (CAPM). It reviews the ways in which these technologies were initially conceived and developed, how they were implemented, and how they have evolved in use. Existing frameworks are oversimplified and unhelpful both as theories and as guides to practice. Detailed examination of the implementation of technologies offers a more dynamic understanding of processes of innovation and the relationship between technological and organizational change. These insights are particularly relevant to the analysis of organizationally complex technologies such as IT networks.