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Change and Reality: Exploring the Structure-
culture-agency Dynamic. Edition No. 1
VDM Publishing House, Nov 2008, Pages: 328
Since the early 1990s information systems (IS) have
increasingly provided both the technical platform
and conceptual rationale for ongoing and widespread
institutional and cultural change across government
and public services worldwide. However, analysis
tends to shy away from examining the complex dynamic
between agency (individual actors and
collectivities), structure (systems, institutions,
roles, positions), and culture (ideas, theories,
beliefs and values) that is integral to these
developments. Instead agents and structures are
conflated – treated as largely epiphenomenal to each
other. This book argues for a different approach
informed by critical realism and acceptance of the
principle of analytical dualism. By so doing it
demonstrates how cycles of IS development and
organisational change are conditioned, shaped,
transformed and reproduced over time by the
agency/structure dynamic, leading ultimately to
complex and highly variable outcomes. In short,
although British local government based, this book
should be of interest to many scholars and
professionals working in government and public
administration and IS and management.
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