Constructing interdependencies with collaborative information technology
pp. 429-450
in: Richard Baskerville, Jan Stage, Janice DeGross (eds), Organizational and social perspectives on information technology, Berlin, Springer, 2000Abstract
Interdependence construction is the gradual formation of mutual relationships between people. In this study, the area is narrowed to interdependencies at work, in long term projects or groups. Viewing interdependence relationships dynamically, as social practices, it is possible to appreciate the complex and situated nature of this formation. The main goal of the study is to develop a theoretical account of the dynamics of the intertwined processes of interdependence construction and collaborative technology appropriation and use. The main dimensions of this account are: (1) how interdependence is constructed and established as a social process, (2) how information and communication are involved in these processes, and (3) in what ways collaborative information technology can contribute to or hamper these processes. Three earlier case studies are revisited using it. The theoretical approach opens up an extensive research program of interdependence construction in relation to collaborative information technology appropriation and use.