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Cited by 927Information Systems Theories and ImplementationManagement and Organizational StudiesInformation Technology Governance and Strategy

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 56 of the 59 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

A Foundation for the Study of IT Effects: A New Look at DeSanctis and Poole’s Concepts of Structural Features and Spirit

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Bentley University, USA, Markus, M. Lynne, Silver, Mark, Fordham University·2008·Journal of the Association for Information Systems
DOI 10.17705/1jais.00176
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Abstract

Gerardine DeSanctis and Marshall Scott Poole made an important contribution to the study of IT uses and effects with their insightful concepts of “structural features” and “spirit.” Unlike their concept of “appropriation,” which has found broad acceptance in the IS community, the concepts of structural features and spirit have not been widely used. Published concerns that the concepts are not consistent with basic assumptions in Giddens’ structuration theory, on which the concepts were based, could account for their neglect. However, concepts like structural features and spirit are indispensable for any program of research that attempts to show how IT artifacts can, together with other influences, contribute to the consequences of IT use. Addressing the criticisms that have been leveled against these concepts is, therefore, important. In this paper we unpack DeSanctis and Poole’s concepts and propose redefining them as three new concepts: technical objects, functional affordances, and symbolic expressions. We believe this reconceptualization addresses several concerns about the original concepts, while retaining the core insights of DeSanctis and Poole’s innovative analysis.

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  1. Eco, U. (1976) A Theory of Semiotics. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
  2. Gutek, B. A., T. K. Bikson, and D. Mankin (1984) Individual and Organizational Consequences of Computer-Based Office Information Technology, in S. Oscamp (Ed.) Applied Social Psychology Annual: Applications in Organizational Settings, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, pp. 231-254.
  3. Hevner, A. R., S. March, and J. Park (2004) "Design Science in Information System Research," Management Information Systems Quarterly (28) 1, pp. 75-105.
  4. Hutchby, I. (2003) "Affordances and the Analysis of Technologically Mediated Interaction: A Response to Brian Rappert," Sociology (37) 3, pp. 581-589.
  5. Jones, M. (1999b) Structuration Theory, in R. Galliers and W. L. Currie (Eds.) Rethinking Management Information Systems: An Interdisciplinary Perspective, Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, pp. 103-135.
  6. Jones, M., W. J. Orlikowski, and K. Munir (2004) Structuration Theory and Information Systems: A Critical Reappraisal, in J. Mingers and L. Willcocks (Eds.) Social Theory and Philosophy for Information Systems, Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, pp. 297-328.
  7. Latour, B. (2005) Reassembling the Social: An Introduction to Actor-Network Theory. Oxford, UK: Vol. 9 Issue 10/11 pp. 609-632 Special Issue 2008
  8. Markus & Silver/IT Effects Oxford University Press.
  9. Markus, M. L. (2005) "The Technology Shaping Effects of e-Collaboration Technologies-Bugs and Features," International Journal of e-Collaboration (1) 1, pp. 1-23.
  10. Michaels, C. F. and C. Carello (1981) Direct Perception. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
  11. Poole, M. S. and G. DeSanctis (2004) Structuration Theory in Information Systems Research: Methods and Controversies, in M. E. Whitman and A. B. Woszczynski (Eds.) The Handbook for Information Systems Research, Hershey, PA: Idea Group, Inc., pp. 206-249.
  12. Ragin, C. C. (1987) The Comparative Method: Moving Beyond Qualitative and Quantitative Strategies. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
  13. Rappert, B. (2003) "Technologies, Texts and Possibilities: A Reply to Hutchby," Sociology (37) 3, pp. 565-580.
  14. Sayer, A. (1993) Method in Social Science. London, UK: Routledge.

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Metadata

Authors
Bentley University, U., Markus, M. L., Silver, M., & Fordham University
Affiliations
Bentley University (US)
Venue
Journal of the Association for Information Systems
Publisher
Association for Information Systems
Published
2008-10
Volume
9
Issue
10
Pages
609-632
ISSN
1536-9323 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.17705/1jais.00176
OpenAlex
W2789700923
Cited by
927
References
59
Citations by year
2026: 72 · 2025: 73 · 2024: 63 · 2023: 68 · 2022: 76 · 2021: 64 · 2020: 68 · 2019: 48 · 2018: 47 · 2017: 33 · 2016: 47 · 2015: 55 · 2014: 49 · 2013: 64 · 2012: 35
FWCI
74.96
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of the Association for Information Systems (publishedVersion)
  • Journal of the Association for Information Systems (submittedVersion)
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
structural features, alcoholic beverages, structuration theory, appropriations, technical objects, functional affordances, symbolic expression, reconceptualization

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