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Research output: Working paper
Research output: Working paper
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TY - UNPB
T1 - Using ANT ideas in the managing of systemic action
AU - Lewis, P J
PY - 2007
Y1 - 2007
N2 - Little guidance has been given to the management of action research and this paper suggests that ideas from the Actor-Network Theory (ANT) may be helpful. Although ANT has been widely used as a tool for interpretation and description of the interplay of the social and technical aspects of organisations, this paper presents a different use of the ideas. It advocates a proactive use, to bring about changes in a situation rather than merely observing and describing that situation disinterestedly from the outside The case is described of a long-term action research study carried out within a corporate bank, where the ideas of ANT were employed in this way, as a device for understanding the turbulent social and political context of the research, to plan and manage the intervention process, and where ideas such as networks of interest, translation of interests and black boxes were used to practical effect.
AB - Little guidance has been given to the management of action research and this paper suggests that ideas from the Actor-Network Theory (ANT) may be helpful. Although ANT has been widely used as a tool for interpretation and description of the interplay of the social and technical aspects of organisations, this paper presents a different use of the ideas. It advocates a proactive use, to bring about changes in a situation rather than merely observing and describing that situation disinterestedly from the outside The case is described of a long-term action research study carried out within a corporate bank, where the ideas of ANT were employed in this way, as a device for understanding the turbulent social and political context of the research, to plan and manage the intervention process, and where ideas such as networks of interest, translation of interests and black boxes were used to practical effect.
KW - Action research
KW - actor network theory
KW - information systems
KW - research methodology
M3 - Working paper
T3 - Management Science Working Paper Series
BT - Using ANT ideas in the managing of systemic action
PB - The Department of Management Science
CY - Lancaster University
ER -