The DOI matches its Crossref record; 34 of the 35 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The Duality of Technology: Rethinking the Concept of Technology in Organizations
Open accessAbstract
This paper develops a new theoretical model with which to examine the interaction between technology and organizations. Early research studies assumed technology to be an objective, external force that would have deterministic impacts on organizational properties such as structure. Later researchers focused on the human aspect of technology, seeing it as the outcome of strategic choice and social action. This paper suggests that either view is incomplete, and proposes a reconceptualization of technology that takes both perspectives into account. A theoretical model—the structurational model of technology—is built on the basis of this new conceptualization, and its workings explored through discussion of a field study of information technology. The paper suggests that the reformulation of the technology concept and the structurational model of technology allow a deeper and more dialectical understanding of the interaction between technology and organizations. This understanding provides insight into the limits and opportunities of human choice, technology development and use, and organizational design. Implications for future research of the new concept of technology and the structurational model of technology are discussed.
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In the citing paper
“Also highly relevant to the health and care environment is what Weick called “technology as equivoque” [103] and Orlikowski (drawing on earlier work on the social construction of technology) called “interpretive flexibility” [104]: a technology introduced into an organization is open to multiple interpretations; successful embedding will require opening up a space for dialogue, listening to”
In the citing paper
“In cases where impacts of public sector performance are difficult to measure, the feedback on new technologies depends heavily on stake-holders' value-based perceptions (e.g., seeing individual or collective gains; Taylor 2016) as well as on political, ideological or cognitive frameworks that these stakeholders apply when confronting or applying technologies (Orlikowski 1992).”
From Technological capacity in the public sector: the case of Estonia (2018) · cites this paper as Orlikowski 1992
In the citing paper
“Such a socio-technical structure facilitates collective intelligence (Orlikowski, 1992), in which social capital plays the facilitation role.”
From Smart tourism destinations: ecosystems for tourism destination competitiveness (2016) · cites this paper as Orlikowski, 1992
Citations
Cites
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Orlikowski, W. J. (2000) · Organization Science · doi:10.1287/orsc.11.4.404.14600 · Cited by 4,760
Self-citationCase research in operations management
Voss, C., Tsikriktsis, N., & Frohlich, M. (2002) · International Journal of Operations & Production Management · doi:10.1108/01443570210414329 · Cited by 2,963
Reconceptualizing Organizational Routines as a Source of Flexibility and Change
Feldman, M. S., & Pentland, B. T. (2003) · Administrative Science Quarterly · doi:10.2307/3556620 · Cited by 4,020
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Capturing the Complexity in Advanced Technology Use: Adaptive Structuration Theory
DeSanctis, G., & Poole, M. S. (1994) · Organization Science · doi:10.1287/orsc.5.2.121 · Cited by 3,879
Metadata
- Authors
- Orlikowski, W. J.
- Affiliations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
- Corresponding author
- Orlikowski, Wanda J.
- ORCID
- Orlikowski, Wanda J.
- Venue
- Organization Science
- Published
- 1992-08
- Volume
- 3
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 398-427
- ISSN
- 1047-7039 (ISSN-L)
- 1526-5455
- OpenAlex
- W2101419153
- Cited by
- 4,957
- References
- 35
- Citations by year
- 2026: 248 · 2025: 144 · 2024: 108 · 2023: 123 · 2022: 157 · 2021: 175 · 2020: 180 · 2019: 195 · 2018: 164 · 2017: 123 · 2016: 167 · 2015: 198 · 2014: 237 · 2013: 220 · 2012: 211
- FWCI
- 105.32
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hdl.handle.net
- Locations
- Organization Science (publishedVersion)
- DSpace@MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- DSpace@MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Management Information Systems › Information Systems Theories and Implementation
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Management and Organizational Studies
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Management Information Systems › Information Technology Governance and Strategy
- Keywords
- technology concepts, information technology, organizational structure, strategic choice, social action, dialectical understanding, organizational design, technological progress
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