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Implementing Web 2.0 tools in organisations
Edited by Dr Gavin J. Baxter
1. Introduction
Despite the increasing maturation of Web 2.0 technology, understanding of organizational implementation and user acceptance of Web 2.0 technology continues to be a difficult and complex process. Web 2.0 technology provides innovative web-based collaboration systems, that involve layers of complexity rooted in social dynamics.
A balance between technological capabilities and social structures of organizations is needed for successful system outcomes. This paper suggests consideration of socio-technical systems theory as a diagnostic tool to examine relationships among social and technical subsystem components of organizational work systems that utilize Web 2.0 technology. We suggest that having even just one relationship out of alignment can impede utilization and overall performance.
More work on drilling down to the source of potential gaps in alignment within socio-technical systems is needed. This research seeks to answer the question of what are underlying factors related to situations of misalignment. More specifically, we seek to identify dimensions that capture the essence of relationships involving aligning pairs of socio-technical system components: actors, structure, tasks and technology.
The organization studied in this research, "SkyCo", is a major player in the cloud computing arena. SkyCo is located in the Midwest and classified as a small business according to number of employees (less than 50). As a technology provider, SkyCo utilizes numerous systems as both the product provided to clients, and the means for conducting internal processes.
As a leader in innovative technologies, SkyCo utilizes a wiki technology-based system for collaborative knowledge management. Although the wiki has evolved since its inception, management expressed concerns that the wiki was not utilized to the best of its abilities. Research involving wiki technology provides an interesting context. Much of the current literature examining wiki technology has a limited focus on either technological aspects or cultural aspects ([21] Lykourentzou et al. , 2011). This research provides a more encompassing study that involves both technological and social dynamics.
In order to uncover potential underlying causes for underutilization of the wiki, the research approach uses STS as a diagnostic tool. As presented here, the first step in tackling this problem is to analyze the organization and business process and delineate the findings into components that comprise a socio-technical work...