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The chiasmus of design: Paradoxical outcomes in the e-government reform of UK children’s services. / Wastell, David; White, Sue
; Broadhurst, Karen.
Information Systems - Creativity and Innovation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises - IFIP WG 8.2 International Conference, CreativeSME 2009, Proceedings. ed. / Gurpreet Dhillon; Bernd Carsten Stahl; Richard Baskerville. Vol. 301 Springer New York LLC, 2009. p. 257-272 (IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology; Vol. 301).
Research output: Contribution in Book/Report/Proceedings - With ISBN/ISSN › Conference contribution/Paper › peer-review
Harvard
Wastell, D, White, S
& Broadhurst, K 2009,
The chiasmus of design: Paradoxical outcomes in the e-government reform of UK children’s services. in G Dhillon, BC Stahl & R Baskerville (eds),
Information Systems - Creativity and Innovation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises - IFIP WG 8.2 International Conference, CreativeSME 2009, Proceedings. vol. 301, IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, vol. 301, Springer New York LLC, pp. 257-272, IFIP WG 8.2 International Conference on Information Systems - Creativity and Innovation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, CreativeSME 2009, Guimaraes, Portugal,
21/06/09.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02388-0_18APA
Wastell, D., White, S.
, & Broadhurst, K. (2009).
The chiasmus of design: Paradoxical outcomes in the e-government reform of UK children’s services. In G. Dhillon, B. C. Stahl, & R. Baskerville (Eds.),
Information Systems - Creativity and Innovation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises - IFIP WG 8.2 International Conference, CreativeSME 2009, Proceedings (Vol. 301, pp. 257-272). (IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology; Vol. 301). Springer New York LLC.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02388-0_18Vancouver
Author
Bibtex
@inproceedings{f6e70a0499a44b85984af877ed16122b,
title = "The chiasmus of design: Paradoxical outcomes in the e-government reform of UK children{\textquoteright}s services",
abstract = "This paper describes a detailed ethnographic study of the design problems of a major national IT system in the UK- The Integrated Children{\textquoteright}s System (ICS). The implementation of the ICS has disrupted social work practice and engendered growing professional resistance, prompting a fundamental review of its design. Marshall McLuhan{\textquoteright}s concept of chiasmus is a central feature of our analysis of the vicissitudes of ICS. Chiasmus refers to the tendency of any system, when pushed too far, to produce unintended contradictory effects, and is an intrinsic feature of the behaviour of complex, socio-technical systems. The dysfunctions of the ICS provide a pertinent, large-scale example. The ICS constitutes an attempt, via technological means, to re-organize child welfare services in the UK. Whilst aimed at improving child safety, the ICS has had the opposite effect of increasing the potential for error. This chiasmus has been exposed through the multi-site ethnography reported here, which shows how rigidly designed processes, enforced by IT systems, force social work professionals into unsafe investigative and recording practices which increase the risk of errors. The paper ends by proposing an alternative approach to design, based on socio-technical precepts, emphasizing the principles of minimum critical specification, user-centeredness and local autonomy.",
author = "David Wastell and Sue White and Karen Broadhurst",
year = "2009",
month = jun,
day = "10",
doi = "10.1007/978-3-642-02388-0_18",
language = "English",
isbn = "9783642023873",
volume = "301",
series = "IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology",
publisher = "Springer New York LLC",
pages = "257--272",
editor = "Gurpreet Dhillon and Stahl, {Bernd Carsten} and Richard Baskerville",
booktitle = "Information Systems - Creativity and Innovation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises - IFIP WG 8.2 International Conference, CreativeSME 2009, Proceedings",
note = "IFIP WG 8.2 International Conference on Information Systems - Creativity and Innovation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, CreativeSME 2009 ; Conference date: 21-06-2009 Through 24-06-2009",
}
RIS
TY - GEN
T1 - The chiasmus of design
T2 - IFIP WG 8.2 International Conference on Information Systems - Creativity and Innovation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, CreativeSME 2009
AU - Wastell, David
AU - White, Sue
AU - Broadhurst, Karen
PY - 2009/6/10
Y1 - 2009/6/10
N2 - This paper describes a detailed ethnographic study of the design problems of a major national IT system in the UK- The Integrated Children’s System (ICS). The implementation of the ICS has disrupted social work practice and engendered growing professional resistance, prompting a fundamental review of its design. Marshall McLuhan’s concept of chiasmus is a central feature of our analysis of the vicissitudes of ICS. Chiasmus refers to the tendency of any system, when pushed too far, to produce unintended contradictory effects, and is an intrinsic feature of the behaviour of complex, socio-technical systems. The dysfunctions of the ICS provide a pertinent, large-scale example. The ICS constitutes an attempt, via technological means, to re-organize child welfare services in the UK. Whilst aimed at improving child safety, the ICS has had the opposite effect of increasing the potential for error. This chiasmus has been exposed through the multi-site ethnography reported here, which shows how rigidly designed processes, enforced by IT systems, force social work professionals into unsafe investigative and recording practices which increase the risk of errors. The paper ends by proposing an alternative approach to design, based on socio-technical precepts, emphasizing the principles of minimum critical specification, user-centeredness and local autonomy.
AB - This paper describes a detailed ethnographic study of the design problems of a major national IT system in the UK- The Integrated Children’s System (ICS). The implementation of the ICS has disrupted social work practice and engendered growing professional resistance, prompting a fundamental review of its design. Marshall McLuhan’s concept of chiasmus is a central feature of our analysis of the vicissitudes of ICS. Chiasmus refers to the tendency of any system, when pushed too far, to produce unintended contradictory effects, and is an intrinsic feature of the behaviour of complex, socio-technical systems. The dysfunctions of the ICS provide a pertinent, large-scale example. The ICS constitutes an attempt, via technological means, to re-organize child welfare services in the UK. Whilst aimed at improving child safety, the ICS has had the opposite effect of increasing the potential for error. This chiasmus has been exposed through the multi-site ethnography reported here, which shows how rigidly designed processes, enforced by IT systems, force social work professionals into unsafe investigative and recording practices which increase the risk of errors. The paper ends by proposing an alternative approach to design, based on socio-technical precepts, emphasizing the principles of minimum critical specification, user-centeredness and local autonomy.
U2 - 10.1007/978-3-642-02388-0_18
DO - 10.1007/978-3-642-02388-0_18
M3 - Conference contribution/Paper
AN - SCOPUS:84555169922
SN - 9783642023873
VL - 301
T3 - IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology
SP - 257
EP - 272
BT - Information Systems - Creativity and Innovation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises - IFIP WG 8.2 International Conference, CreativeSME 2009, Proceedings
A2 - Dhillon, Gurpreet
A2 - Stahl, Bernd Carsten
A2 - Baskerville, Richard
PB - Springer New York LLC
Y2 - 21 June 2009 through 24 June 2009
ER -
