ICT as a collectively enacted artifact? A collective enactment perspective

Abstract

As the organizational demand for ICT (Information Communication Technologies) undergoes rapid changes, organizations must integrate other enterprise systems into ICT to continually address their current challenges. However, few studies have considered the dynamic fabric of ICT, especially since its usage is evolving with the development of digital technology and the organization's needs. Therefore, this study conducts a case study of a prominent Taiwanese petrochemical corporation, exploring its ICT practices to underscore the dynamic nature of ICT. Additionally, the study introduces a collective enactment model to investigate the development of evolving ICT practices within the organization. Prior literature on ICT development focuses on organizational applications and its novel technology feature. With the evolution of technology, traditional ICT alone is no longer sufficient to meet digital transformation requirements. In other words, organizations need to integrate other enterprise systems in ICT to continually address their current challenges effectively. To investigate the practices under such evolving ICT, this study suggests viewing ICT as a continuously evolving practice to cope with the rapidly changing organizational environment. From a managerial perspective, this study highlights the dynamic feature of ICT, especially the interaction between ICT and organization members. From a theoretical perspective, this study emphasizes the importance of collective action to ICT development so that enactment theory has been extended.