This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (2) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Hussain, Z. Articles by Flynn, D. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

A case study of the process of achieving legitimation in information systems development

School of Management, University of Bradford, Z.I.Hussain{at}bradford.ac.uk

Andrew Taylor

School of Management, University of Bradford

Donal Flynn

Computation Department, UMIST, Manchester

Social and organizational issues are important in developing successful information systems in organizations. In the past, several approaches have been used to investigate these issues, but more recently an emerging and promising approach is to use Structuration Theory (ST). ST is acknowledged as a powerful approach but needs careful operationalization; consequently, the empirical application of ST remains scarce. In this research ST is used as a sense-making device to examine the research context. In this case study of a National Health Service organization, we concentrate on the legitimation construct within ST to examine how IT management carried out an integrated set of actions over a three-year period to obtain legitimation for an Intranet system from its eventual stakeholders. Legitimation is potentially important for any project involving the introduction of new information tools, especially those that will require a change in end user behaviours. It is therefore possible that this study of legitimation in ISD is transferable to many other IS contexts. A Legitimation Activity Model was used to show how activities could be performed to achieve legitimation from key organizational stakeholders. We suggest that a failure to obtain legitimation may be a significant but under-recognized factor in information systems failure.

Key Words: Information systems • Systems development • User acceptance • Stakeholders • Legitimation process • Case studies • Research methods • Legitimation Activity Model • Structuration Theory

Journal of Information Science, Vol. 30, No. 5, 408-417 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/0165551504046725


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				Z. Hussain and K. Hafeez Changing Attitudes and Behavior of Stakeholders During an Information Systems-Led Organizational Change Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, December 1, 2008; 44(4): 490 - 513. [Abstract] [PDF]

				S. K. Lippert and M. Davis A conceptual model integrating trust into planned change activities to enhance technology adoption behavior Journal of Information Science, October 1, 2006; 32(5): 434 - 448. [Abstract] [PDF]