Information and Communication Technologies in Networks of Non-Profit Organizations

Abstract

This thesis explores the recursive interaction among technology, human action and institutional properties in three networks of nonprofit organizations. The aims of the research are two-fold: to make a theoretical contibution to literature on organizations and technology by applying concepts of institutionalism and the structurational model of technology to a unique organizational form; and, to make a practical contribution to the nonprofit sector by improving knowledge of how networks of nonprofit organizations interact with information and communication technologies. The research process involved 13 interviews, 44 qualitative surveys and copious document and website analysis. The findings indicate that technology is not institutionalized uniformly within the network structures but instead comes to assume different roles within different parts of the networks. This leads to an extension of the structurational model of technology and also highlights the importance of flexible technologies that can be adapted to the variable circumstances of a single network structure.