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 -