Understanding Change from a Socio-technical Perspective

Abstract

In this paper the authors report on a socio-technical analysis of the change caused by an e-textbook implementation in a secondary school in South Africa. The Punctuated Socio-Technical Change (PSIC) model was considered because it affirms the socio-technical nature of existing educational research on ICT enabled change, and also extends it by recognising the episodic nature of change. On a vertical level the model allowed the authors to identify and distinguish between the factors and events which influenced the change in the organisation on four different levels. On a horizontal level, the model makes the disequilibrium between the socio-technical system components visible as they happen over time. Data was collected during the first phase of action research and analysed using the PSIC model. It is found that, despite the preparatory events leading to the full roll out, as well as the positive affordances of the new technology, the equilibrium of the socio-technical components of the work system was severely disrupted. The technology infrastructure did not support the e-textbook platform and the implementation of more than one platform clearly caused confusion. The experience of the teachers was that they were not offered sufficient support and that the e-textbooks they were expected to use, did not support the teaching and learning task. Consequently, the authors suggested some interventions to stabilise the socio-technical work system, of which some have already realised. As the ST-model used within the PSIC model fails to address the vertical gaps between levels in sufficient detail, the authors intend to apply ANT in future research to overcome this shortcoming.