Making sense of telebanking information systems: the role of organizational back ups

Abstract

A case study of a telebanking information system located within a state-owned European bank is described and analysed. Findings indicate that while the information system supports the operators’ work practice in routine situations, it fails to do so when the work flow is disrupted. The case demonstrates how a pervasive pattern of stability is achieved through a variety of back-up mechanisms enacted and improvised in the work setting. The paper concludes with the implications of these findings for the theory and practice of information systems design.