| The dissertation explores the interaction of socio-structural attributes of organizations and the implementation of information technology across levels of analysis. Typically, research at the micro-organizational level has focused on the effects of information technology on user attitude and utilization as a means of assessing the impact of such technologies on organizational performance. Research at the macro-level has focused primarily on the effects of information technology on organizational structure. Middle-level research connecting individual action and organizational structure through analysis of task characteristics, roles, and reporting relationships has been missing from the literature.;The research found that organizational members enact information technology through selective use of technical capabilities. A triarchic model of organization based on three organizational logics is proposed to explain the enactment of the information system in the organization. The three logics constraining enactment are performance programs, bureaucratic politics, and institutions (i.e., the institutionalized norms, values, and beliefs) of the organization. The technology enactment model was found to illuminate reciprocal effects between the organization and the technology at multiple levels of analysis.;The dissertation concludes with a discussion of the implications of the study for theory, research, and practice.;A policy sciences orientation utilizing an interdisciplinary approach and multiple methods comprised the research strategy. A survey questionnaire (65 respondents) was administered to users of an automated tactical command and control system in a division of the U.S. Army. The instrument measured individual perceptions of the effectiveness of the technology, training and previous experience, and patterns of use. Fifty semi-structured interviews were conducted with a different set of users from the same division. Observation of the technology in use under field conditions provided rich, contextual data. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis measured relationships between user perceptions of system effectiveness, organizational location, training, and use. Content and thematic analysis of survey comments, interview data, and field notes were used to draw inferences about the relationship between socio-structural attributes of the organization and implementation of the technology. |
