This is an advanced course reviewing social social theories and their implications for social and organisational innovation.
Course Lecturer
Dr Simeon Vidolov
Required Texts:
Ciborra, C. U. (2002). The Labyrinths of Information: Challenging the Wisdom of Systems. New York, Oxford University Press
Winograd, T. and F. Flores (1986). Understanding Computers and Cognition: A New Foundation for Design. California, USA, Adison-Wesley
Course Objectives and Description
Understanding the processes and practices related to design, implementation, management and use of information technology in organisation, in our modern, high-tech world, is essential for future business and IS professionals. The popular understanding of these processes is largely founded on a narrow model of rational views on knowledge, decision making, strategy, and orderly systems development. Such descriptions often fail to account for the complexity and dynamics of these technology-related processes. This course aims to reinterpret the mundane, existential and irrational aspects of the way people operate in organisations and within technological platforms, and highlight the pervasiveness of side effects, unexpected consequences and situations where resources and people are not fully under control. Consequently the topics of this course will revolve around technological innovation, communication, knowledge sharing and collaboration, organisational change, design and strategy. In order to develop a more nuanced and holistic understanding of these processes, we draw upon a range of social and organisation theories that put in the centre of our attention the human existence in everyday life. Hence, this course will attempt to sensitize the student to the skills and competences required for living in the messy and unpredictable world of technology driven by spiralling side effects.
Learning outcomes
On completing this module students should be able to:
• Critically assess notions related to human expertise, knowledge, learning and collaboration in technology-related work practices.
• Demonstrate the practical applicability of a range of theoretical perspectives to understanding the relationship between IT, organisations and knowledge.
• Demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the different ways in which collaborative technologies are implicated in transforming work and organising practices.
• Demonstrate a sound and actionable understanding of the situated and affective aspects of organisational and management practices.
• Draw on wider social debates related to risk, trust and privacy in the Digital Age
• Develop critical thinking and communication skills.
Course Dynamics
This course is not designed to be traditional, sit-and-listen class for students. Instead, it is premised on the understanding that the best way for students to achieve the learning outcomes is to experience the course. Therefore, my role will be to support and enrich your learning experience by providing course structure and materials (such as slides, case studies, readings, videos, and practical group exercises), and facilitate the ongoing in-class activities such as discussions and exercises. The quality of your learning experience, however, will depend on the extent of your motivation, your initiative, your preparation for class, and your individual participation during class. You will be also working in groups for selected in-class exercises and discussion topics and will be invited to post comments and raise questions to an online collaborative space. You are expected to have read the assigned readings for each day prior to coming to class.
Note: the organisation of the course is subject to on-going revision
Course Requirements and Policies
Grades
10% Individual class participation
20% Group class performance
20% Group project report
50 % Individual final research paper
Individual class participation (10%) You should come to class having completed the readings for that day. Be prepared to play active role in class discussion. Absences will be reflected in your grade and may jeopardize your overall standing in the course.
Group class performance (20%) and Group project report (20%) At the beginning of the course we will form project/ performance groups. These groups will carry out two activities: First, you will work with your group on in-class activities such as exercises and short case studies. In addition, 2-3 groups will be randomly selected to deliver a short improvised presentation of their reflection on the case study (or exercise) each day, which will be expected to stimulate further discussion. Second, you will be working on a project report related to your in class group activities. Further details about the group project reports will be provided during Day 1.
Group Project – DSS Overview & Relevance
Research paper (50%) the remaining course grade will come from the final research paper. Details about choosing topics for the final paper as well as specific requirements will be distributed during Day 1. Unlike the group project report, the final research paper will require you to use material outside of the class readings.
CII MIS40900 Project Paper – The Future of Universities and Education
Topics & Readings (Subject to revision)
DAY 1 Dualisms, Scientific Method & Critical perspectives on IT
Ciborra, C. U. (2002). The Labyrinths of Information: Challenging the Wisdom of Systems. New York, Oxford University Press, Inc., Chapter 2 ‘Krisis: Judging Methods’
Winograd, T. and F. Flores (1986). Understanding Computers and Cognition: A New Foundation for Design. California, USA, Adison-Wesley Publishing Company. Chapter 2 ‘The Rationalistic Tradition’
Rationalistic_tradition_Winograd&Flores
Robey, D. and Boudreau, M. 1999. Accounting for the Contradictory Organizational Consequences of Information Technology: Theoretical Directions and Methodological Implications, Information Systems Research, 10(2), 167-185.
Eric Monteiro and Ole Hanseth. Social shaping of information infrastructure: on being specific about the technology. In Wanda Orlikowski, Geoff Walsham, Matthew R. Jones, and Janice I. DeGross, editors, Information technology and changes in organisational work, pages 325 – 343. Chapman & Hall, 1995
Orlikowski, W (1992) The duality of technology: Rethinking the concept of technology in organizations, Organization Science, 398-428
DAY 2 Human expertise & decision-making, knowledge and organisational learning
Dreyfus, Hubert L. and Dreyfus, Stuart E. (2005), ‘Expertise in real world contexts’, Organization Studies, 26 (5), 779-92.
Dreyfus – Expertise in real world contexts
Winograd, T. and F. Flores (1986). Understanding Computers and Cognition: A New Foundation for Design. California, USA, Adison-Wesley Publishing Company. Chapter 3 ‘Understanding and Being’
Winograd, T. and F. Flores (1986). Understanding Computers and Cognition: A New Foundation for Design. California, USA, Adison-Wesley Publishing Company. Chapter 11 ‘Management and Conversation’
McDermott, R. (1999), “Why information technology inspired but cannot deliver Knowledge Management”, California Management Review, Vol. 41, No. 4, pp. 103-117.
Walsham, G. (2005) Knowledge Management Systems: Representation and Communication in Context, Systems, Signs and Actions Vol. 1, No1
DAY 3 ICT, Organisational Innovation & Improvisation
Kelly, S. and Jones, M. (2001), “Groupware and the social infrastructure of communication”, Communications of the ACM, Vol. 44, No. 12, pp. 77-79.
Kelly-Groupware and the Social Infrastructure of Communication
Orlikowski, W. J. (1993). “Learning from Notes: organizational issues in groupware implementation.” The Information Society 9: 237-250.
Orlikowski – Learning from Notes
Ciborra, C. U. (2002). The Labyrinths of Information: Challenging the Wisdom of Systems. New York, Oxford University Press, Inc., Chapter 3: ‘Bricolage: Improvisation, hacking, patching’
Ciborra, C. U. (2002). The Labyrinths of Information: Challenging the Wisdom of Systems. New York, Oxford University Press, Inc., Chapter 5 ‘5 ‘Dérive: Drift and deviation’
Orlikowski, W. J. and Hofman, J. D. (1997), “An improvisational model for change management: The case of groupware technologies”, Sloan Management Review, No. Winter, pp. 11-21.
Orlikowski & Hofman – Improvisational model
DAY 4 New Forms of organising & social production
Seamas Kelly New Frontiers in the Theorization of ICT-Mediated Interaction: Exploring the Implications of a Situated Learning Epistemology
Malhotra RADICAL INNOVATION WITHOUT COLLOCATION: A CASE STUDY AT BOEING-ROCKETDYNE
Malhotra et al – boeing rocketdyne case misq
Introna, L. D. and Tiow, B. L. (1997), “Thinking about virtual organisations and the future”, in 5th European Conference on Information Systems, Vol. 2 (Eds, Galliers, R., Murphy, C., Hansen, H. R., O’Callaghan, R., Carlsson, S. and Loebbecke, C.) Cork Publishing, Cork
Introna_and_Tiow__Virtual_Org Copy
Benkler, Y., & Nissenbaum, H. (2006). Commons-based Peer Production and Virtue. Journal of Political Philosophy, 14(4), 394–419.
Yochai Benkler – Open Source Economics and The Wealth of Networks (VIDEO)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEo2SRrlOtE
Kollock, P. (1999). The economies of online cooperation Gifts and public goods in cyberspace. In P. Kollock & M. Smith (Eds.), Communities in Cyberspace (pp. 220–239).
DAY 5 Trust, Privacy, Ethics and Commitment in the ‘Digital Age’
Kelly, S. and C. Noonan (2008). “Anxiety and psychological security in offshoring relationships: the role and development of trust as emotional commitment.” Journal of Information Technology 23(4): 232-248.
Kelly & Noonan – Anxiety and psychological security in offshoring (JIT final)
Introna, L. (1997). “Privacy and the computer: why we need privacy in the information society.” Metaphilosophy 28(3): 259-275.
Solove, D. J. (2008). “The end of privacy?” Scientific American 299(3): 100-106.
Knights, D., et al. “Chasing Shadows: Control, Virtuality and the Production of Trust.” Organization Studies 22(2).
Organization Studies-2001-Knights-311-36
Scott & Walsham – Reconceptualizing and Managing Reputation Risk in the Knowledge Economy: Toward Reputable Action
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