Enculturation of user involvement in software development organizations - an interpretive case study in the product development context

Abstract

It is widely accepted that users should be involved in the interactive systems development. Ho wever, involving the users is often difficult and quite rare in software development organizations, especially in the product development context. We took a culturally oriented approach in the analysis of the position of user involvement in two software development organizations operating in the product development context. We analyzed how user involvement is modified and interpreted in the cultural context. This meaning negotiation - enculturation - process was the focus of empirical examination. Empirical material was gathered and analyzed by employing an interpretive research approach. The results suggest that there exist clear differences in how user involvement, has been encultured in the case organizations. The case organizations employ different approaches to user involvement, and differing strategies for the facilitation of user involvement. As an implication for practice, we emphasize the importance of understanding the cultural context in which the user involvement is to be initiated, and suggest that different approaches to user involvement might be selected in differing cultural settings.