Organizational context, social interpretation, and the implementation and consequences of geographic information systems

Abstract

An interpretive approach was applied to understand the social meanings of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) being implemented in two local government agencies in the United States. We assumed that information technologies, like other knowledge systems, are subject to social construction and that resulting social interpretations may shape their implementation and use. Guided by a framework linking social context with organizational processes, the research used inductive methods to describe the social constructed frames of meaning pertaining to GIS. Findings revealed strikingly different patterns of implementation and social consequences from the same technology. These findings demonstrate the role of social interpretations in the implementation of information technology. Social interpretations mediate between organizational context and the process of implementation to produce particular consequences of technology. The results support the notion of emergent causality and the importance of process in understanding the social consequences of technology