Christopher J. Atkinson

The “soft information systems and technologies methodology” (SISTeM): an actor network contingency approach to integrated development

This paper describes the Soft Information Systems and Technologies Methodology (SISTeM), and demonstrates its utility in integrating informational and organisational development. The methodology and its stages are illustrated with examples from recent information systems and technology (IS&T) based projects, mainly in the health sector. Its antecedents in soft systems methodology are identified. The use of the approaches underpinning concept of the human/machine activity system is described. The nature of SISTeM as a social, political and technological form of contingency methodology, working with other approaches and disciplines, is demonstrated. SISTeM, it will be argued has capacity for orchestrating the emergence, consolidation and continual development of real world actor networks.

Developing a wireless reference model for interpreting complexity in wireless projects

Mobile Internet applications on ubiquitous mobile networks allows real‐time, anywhere, anytime connectivity to services. Owing to its scalability and potential cost savings, mobile communication is being increasingly applied in the business and consumer communities to create innovative data and voice application, which run over the Internet infrastructure. This paper describes the findings from a case study at an organisation that integrated mobile applications developed by third party developers. This paper presents a five dimensional reference model that provides a measure of project complexity for mobile systems development. This reference model aims to incorporate the unique context of mobile systems projects to: improve skills‐task allocation, allow more accurate development costing and improve project management performance on complex projects.

Investigating integrated socio-technical approaches to health informatics

The paper explores the socio-technical approaches being developed in the Center for Health Informatics and Computing (CHIC) for addressing issues within healthcare that necessitate the integration of information systems with clinical and managerial development. A brief description of the health provision in the UK is given as a background to understanding the need for integrated interventions and approaches in health informatics. Three interlinked approaches are discussed: The Soft Information Systems and Technologies Methodology (SISTeM), Participative Simulation Modeling, and Stakeholder Analysis. A discussion is then provided of how they relate to each other and potential synergies. How they form part of the current and future research agenda within CHIC is then presented. The paper concludes with the argument that, as a result of the nature of healthcare, any health informatics intervention, if it is to be effective, has to be based on integrated socio-technical approaches.

The multidimensional systemic representation of actor networks: modelling breast cancer treatment decision-making

This paper explores how the soft information systems and technologies methodology (SISTeM) and actor network theory may be combined to address real world problematisations that lead to integrated human/machine interventions in the real world. An important component of this is the need for a modeling language for the multidimensional systemic representation of actor networks. The dimensions include human/machine activities, the information systems and technologies, clinical competencies, psychosocial relationships and power/politics. A scenario focusing on breast cancer treatment decision-making is used to illustrate the need for such a multidimensional modeling language and integrated interventions.

Integrated approaches to health informatics research and development

This paper looks at a number of approaches to health informatics that support decision‐making relevant to the integrated development and management of information systems with clinical and managerial practices in healthcare. Its main aim is to explore three such approaches for integrated development, the soft information systems and technologies methodology, participative simulation modelling and stakeholder analysis. A description of the health informatics research and development environment in the UK is given as necessary background to the paper. Organisational and social aspects are examined through these approaches including information and clinical process development, telemedicine, ethical issues of drug use and management, health policies and information management and strategies, tele‐education and modelling structures. In the conclusion the synergies between the three approaches are discussed and some principles are extracted for future research and development in integrated approaches to health informatics research.

Socio-Technical and Soft Approaches to Information Requirements Elicitation in the Post-Methodology Era

The contributors to this special issue focus on socio-technical and soft approaches to information requirements elicitation and systems development. They represent a growing body of research and practice in this field. This review presents an overview and analysis of the salient themes within the papers encompassing their common underlying framework, the methodologies and tools and techniques presented, the organisational situations in which they are deployed and the issues they seek to address. It will be argued in the review that the contributions to this special edition exemplify the ‘post-methodological era’ and the ‘contingency approaches’ from which it is formed.

Structurantion in Research and Practice: Representing Actor Networks Their Structurated Orders and Translations

This paper sets out to describe how the StructurANTion theoretical framework and tools derived from it can be used to represent translations of humanchine actor networks and their structurated orders, to underpin both research and practice in integrating IS and organizational transformation.

A case study of MMO2’s MADIC: a framework for creating mobile Internet systems

Mobile Internet applications on ubiquitous mobile networks allows real‐time, anywhere, anytime connectivity to services. Owing to its scalability and potential cost savings, mobile communication is being increasingly applied in the business and consumer communities to create innovative data and voice application, which run over the Internet infrastructure. This paper reports on a case study at an organisation that created an innovative approach to developing mobile applications developed by third party independent developers. A conceptual wireless reference model is presented that was used to define the various system constituents required to create effective mobile applications.

How Stakeholder Analysis can be Mobilized with Actor-Network Theory to Identify Actors

Actor-network theory studies provide detailed accounts of how human and nonhuman actors gradually form stable actor networks. However, due to their focus on a particular context, there is little generic guidance on how such relevant actors can be identified when a different research context is under study. The principles of (human) stakeholder behavior presented in this paper guide the identification of human stakeholders through an iterative, interpretive, dynamic and context-contingent process. We show how they can be adopted and extended to include the identification of nonhuman actants as well. Thus, we argue that they can be instrumental in providing a generic, context-free guidance to stakeholder identification that is currently missing from ANT studies.

The Nature and Role of Generative Systemic Metaphor within Information Systems Planning and Development

Generative metaphors have a capacity to underpin the discourses and methodologies associated with the planning and development of information systems. A number of systemic metaphors are described here. These range from traditional viable systems models to those that can accommodate a multiplicity of interests and relationships, encompassing mutuality and collectivity as well as domination and conflict. The role of such metaphors in framing information systems development and its relationship to human behaviors within organizations, in this case of healthcare, are explored using a case study. The paper speculates on how systemic metaphor may underpin integrated development in which the objective is to bring about technological and human change simultaneously.