People frames: the social construction of information systems

The management of IT involves the thoughtful consideration of the management of stakeholders' knowledge as information system success depends upon synergy between human and technical systems. In this paper particular attention is paid to the notion of frames, or frames of reference, held by the stakeholders of information systems and their effects on system adoption and use. A qualitative study is performed in the context of an engineering firm's adoption of a commercial ERP package. Findings suggest that besides frames of technology, the beliefs and perceptions that stakeholders have of each other influence their utilization of technological artifacts and influence the operation of information systems.