Our knowledge of how users reinvent information technologies (IT) in ways that depart from their intended purposes to achieve new goals is relatively limited. Drawing on a human agency theory that situates actors in the flow of time, this paper develops a theory of IT reinvention. It identifies the key subprocesses of IT reinvention, describes two patterns of reinvention (performance-oriented and mastery-oriented), and explains how the present and the past influence the ambiguities, demands, and dilemmas inherent to each pattern. The outcomes associated with each pattern of IT reinvention are also discussed. The paper provides the theoretical foundations to understand how users reinvent IT as well as new insights into a broader range of post-adoption behaviors.
Transactive memory is an effective mechanism for locating and coordinating expertise in small groups and has been shown to hold numerous benefits for groups and organizations. To extend transactive memory beyond the scope of small groups, researchers have proposed the use of information technology (IT). This paper provides an integrated discussion of our knowledge from three studies concerning IT support in transactive memory in organizations. Focusing on meta-memory, which is at the heart of transactive memory systems, we examine what meta-memory is maintained by members of transactive memory systems, whether providing this meta-memory in a technology-mediated environment can lead to transactive memory development, whether IT can realistically provide this meta-memory, and whether different requirements exist for different users and in different stages of transactive memory development. We discuss the implications of these studies to both research and practice.