Understanding Business Process Change Failure: An Actor-Network Perspective.

Author List: Sarker, Suprateek; Sarker, Saonee; Sidorova, Anna;
Journal of Management Information Systems, 2006, Volume 23, Issue 1, Page 51-86.
In this paper, we use concepts from actor-network theory (ANT) to interpret the sequence of events that led to business process change (BPC) failure at a telecommunications company in the United States. Through our intensive examination of the BPC initiative, we find that a number of issues suggested by ANT, such as errors in problematization, parallel translation, betrayal, and irreversible inscription of interests, contributed significantly to the failure. We provide nine abstraction statements capturing the essence of our findings in a concrete form. The larger implication of our study is that, for sociotechnical phenomena such as BPC with significant political components, an ANT-informed understanding can enable practitioners to better anticipate and cope with emergent complexities.
Keywords: actor-network theory; business process change; case study; information systems implementation; information systems politics; interpretive research; organizational change; power; reengineering; social construction of technology
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#282 0.213 power perspective process study rational political perspectives politics theoretical longitudinal case social rationality formation construction shows multiple instead understanding fact
#69 0.124 process business reengineering processes bpr redesign paper research suggests provide past improvements manage enable organizations regarding focal cycle creating issues
#185 0.106 change organizational implementation case study changes management organizations technology organization analysis successful success equilibrium radical efforts initiatives managing resistance individuals
#176 0.105 e-commerce value returns initiatives market study announcements stock event abnormal companies significant growth positive using methodology investments period time initiative
#127 0.103 systems information research theory implications practice discussed findings field paper practitioners role general important key grounded researchers domain new identified
#82 0.079 case study studies paper use research analysis interpretive identify qualitative approach understanding critical development managerial elements exploring points positivist presents
#111 0.078 e-government collective sociomaterial material institutions actors practice particular organizational routines practices relations mindfulness different analysis ways draw agencies drawing ideas
#96 0.052 errors error construction testing spreadsheet recovery phase spreadsheets number failures inspection better studies modules rate replicated detection correction optimal discovering