Lens Of Actor-network Theory Research Articles

Actor-Network State

This conceptual article draws on literature in the sociology of science on modelling. The authors suggest that if state theory can be conceptualized as an ‘engine’ rather than merely a ‘camera’, in that policy is mobilized to make the world fit the theory, then this has implications for conceptualizing states. To examine this possibility the authors look through the lens of actor-network theory (ANT) and in doing so articulate a relationship between two models of the state in the literature. They find that an ‘actor model’ of the state is accepted by many scholars, few of whom develop ‘network models’ of the state. In response, this study introduces an actor-network model and proposes that its contribution to state theory is in rethinking the character of modern states to be the outcome of actually performed assemblages of all those practices of building it, protecting it, governing it and theorizing about it.

Plant Lifecycle Data Standards in the Process Industry: Diagnosis and Resolution of Collective Action Failure

Rationale, aims and objectives: Several stakeholders had observed the slow adoption of product model data standards in the Process Industry. The collective action failure contradicts the expectations from public good games with increasing returns to scale. No earlier research had investigated the strength of this observation, nor the possible causes for the apparently irrational slow adoption. The purpose of this study was to determine the reality of the adoption failure and to propose diagnostic leads regarding the failure's cause-effect mechanisms. Methods: Stakeholder interviews were used to analyze the industry's in-need state regarding plant life cycle data standards. Factor categories and kinds of adoption-hurdles were summarized following a literature review on technology diffusion under network effects. Actor network theory was used to map the data standards adoption incentives and barriers in the process industry and to contrast standards adoption with the automotive industry. Meta-analysis techniques were used to interpret our findings and identify cause-effect mechanisms across the factors (diagnostic realm), and to articulate intervention-focused recommendations on them (therapeutic realm). Results: Using the lens of Actor Network Theory and the Multi-Level Perspective, standards adoption performance in two industries is compared. A problem mess description helped the stakeholders to better understand each others interests and limitations in developing or adopting product model standards. This descriptive result was utilized to formulate tactics recommendations for private and public sector actors. Conclusions: That product model standards adoption in the process industry is slower than in the automotive industry could be attributed to a range of factors and their impacts upon actor tactics. Our descriptive results and their interpretation w.r.t. the findings of other studies offer step-stones, both for practitioners and researchers in the interoperability standards arena.

Unravelling the Dynamics of IOIS Implementation: An Actor-Network Study of an IOIS in the Seaport of Barcelona

Although inter-organizational information systems (IOIS) implementation has been widely studied, mainstream literature has not focused on understanding how implementation unfolds and how the existing components of the installed base shape the process. This paper addresses this gap by conducting a socio-technical, process-oriented, and multilevel study. Based on a longitudinal in-depth case study of the implementation of an industry IOIS, we develop an explication of IOIS implementation that considers the role of the installed base. Using the lens of actor-network theory (ANT), we counter the mainstream IOIS literature by showing that IOIS implementation cannot only be explained by a fixed set of independent factors; instead, the dynamic mutual shaping of socio-technical actors throughout implementation complements existing factor-based models in explaining the evolution and the outcome (success or failure). The study also shows the importance of complying with the technical and non-technical components of the installed base for an IOIS to be successfully initiated.

Implementing an integrated system in a socially dis‐integrated enterprise

PurposeOrganisational integration has been presented as a key imminent outcome of implementing ERP systems. This study aims to examine critically this notion of integration by focusing on the role of the social fabric of the organisation in the implementation of ERP systems and, in particular, its integration capability.Design/methodology/approachThis study examines the case of a successful ERP implementation in a large international organisation through the analytical lens of actor network theory and the introduction of the concept of “organisational othering”.FindingsThe study argues that the institutionalised marginalisation of some business units within the organisation created a highly political and largely dis‐integrated social context for the ERP implementation, which contrasts with the system logic of integration, transparency, and coordination. It reveals that this organisational practice of dis‐integration can be reproduced and inscribed in the implemented ERP system, thereby hindering the realisation of its integration capability.Originality/valueThe research contributes to the emerging critical studies of ERP systems and the ongoing discussion on IS implementation politics and intra‐group conflict by suggesting that configuring integrated systems such as ERP in such a context requires careful consideration and delicate management in order to achieve a workable version of integration that is socially and organisationally acceptable.

Examining the ‘CSI effect’ through an ANT lens

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is part of a new generation of police drama where science and technology play a central role in catching criminals. Though very few would mistake it for educational programming, the show appears to be infl uencing how its audience comes to think about forensics. Dubbed the ‘CSI effect’, the show is said to be giving viewers the impression that the use of forensics in criminal investigations is not only common, but is quick, easy, and without budgetary constraints. Whether it is the rising number of ‘science-savvy’ jurors or the growing workload for crime labs, the current fl urry of media coverage appears focused on the effects that CSI is having in various areas of criminal justice. Because of the supposed impact on the judicial system, a common reaction among legal commentators is to try to separate fact from fi ction by pointing out examples where these portrayals of forensics are somehow inaccurate, grossly oversimplifi ed or highly implausible. However, for socio-legal researchers interested in studying the representations of forensics in popular culture, it may be unwise to become overly preoccupied with highlighting what is not ‘real’ on CSI and dismissing these depictions as ‘make believe’. Rather than bracketing fact from fi ction, we need to embrace ‘complexity’ (see Law and Mol, 2002) and concentrate on the interaction between what is presented on TV and what we often describe as the ‘real world’ of forensics and criminal justice. In order to do this, it may be useful to draw on the theoretical and methodological insights from the fi eld of Science and Technology Studies (S&TS) and the specifi c branch of research known as Actor-Network Theory (ANT). Like other branches of S&TS, ANT theorists look at how social and human elements are implicated in the production of scientifi c facts and technological artefacts. ANT considers the ways in which ideas and things are produced through a ‘network’ of heterogeneous ‘actors’. This focus on the processes of ‘translation’ allows ANT theorists to consider the existence of hybrids and, as such, avoids what Latour (1993) describes as the modern project of ‘purifi cation’ with the ontological divisions that are created between ‘nature and society’ or ‘human and non-human’. This Research Note adopts a similar approach to the study of forensic science and technology in order to illustrate the ‘messiness’ of hybridity and the many connections between the TV depictions of forensics and their ‘real world’ counterparts. Using ANT to

The Validity of the Improvisation Argument in the Implementation of Rigid technology: The Case of ERP systems

Claudio Ciborra's improvisation argument provides a realistic dynamic account of how organisational practices address technology. This was developed from the study of malleable open-ended technology, but little research has occurred to investigate the theory's validity within different settings. This paper seeks to address this gap, by examining improvisation in the context of a rigid highly structured technology. It presents findings from the successful implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system within a large international organisation, which was subsequently defined by the ERP vendor as being an ‘exemplary site’. Through the theoretical lens of Actor Network Theory, the paper reveals the improvisation, enactments and constant work around the plan that took place in dealing with the high contingencies of ERP implementation. The study extends the discussion on improvisation and contributes to an already illuminating argument. It invites practitioners to reflect on ERP implementation practice and review their evaluation methods.

The role of standards in innovation and diffusion of broadband mobile services: The case of South Korea

We explore the evolution of the mobile infrastructure in South Korea through the lens of actor network theory. In particular, we analyze the roles of standards in promoting, enabling and constraining innovation in broadband mobile services over a 10-year period. During this period, Korea moved from the position of a follower to the forefront of the mobile computing revolution by erecting one of the world's most advanced broadband mobile infrastructures. Our study shows how CDMA standards shaped specific configurations of actor networks that enabled the fast and aggressive development and deployment of 2G mobile infrastructures and a rapid transition to 3G services. These actor networks span three separate and critical realms of activities: the regulatory regime, the innovation system, and the market place. Our in-depth case analysis shows how specific connections and events across these three realms promoted the rapid expansion and deployment of mobile services in Korea. Our study suggests that successful innovation and diffusion of broadband mobile services are collective achievements and firms need to deploy strategies that enable them to mobilize broad socio-technical networks that include technological, institutional, political and financial resources. At the heart of such strategies, standards play critical roles as they mediate different interests and motivations among participating actors.