The penetration of a technology or innovation into the workplace is what this work is really about. User acceptance and adoption are precursors to wider penetration into the wider organisation in some respects.
Some concepts and theories to look into ….
And…
From the paper by Michel Callon, “Some elements of a sociology of translation: domestication of the scallops and the fishermen
of St Brieuc Bay” (First published in J. Law, Power, action and belief: a new sociology of knowledge? London, Routledge, 1986, pp.196-223.)
Here are the core elements of ANT as defined by Callon:
Actor-Network Theory = the sociology of translation an analytical framework is particularly well adapted to the study of the role played by science and technology in structuring power relationships.
Translation: The four moments of translation.
1 The problematization or how to become indispensable.
A set of actors and their defined identities in such a way that establishes them an an ‘obligatory passage point’ in the network of relationships they are building. This double movement, which renders them indispensable in the network, is what is known as Problematization. The problematization describes a system of alliances, or associations between entities, thereby defining the identity and what they ‘want’.
2. The definition of obligatory passage points (OPP).
A Holy Alliance between actants must be formed in order to resolve the stated problem.
3. The devices of ‘interessement’ or how the allies are locked into place.
Each entity enlisted by the problematization can submit to being integrated into the initial plan, or inversely, refuse the transaction by defining its identity, its goals, projects, orientations, motivations, or interests in another manner. Interessement is the group of actions by which an entity attempts to impose and stabilize the identity of the other actors it defines through its problematization. Different devices are used to implement these actions.
4. How to define and coordinate the roles: enrolment.
No matter how constraining the trapping device, no matter how convincing the argument, success is never assured. In other words, the device of interessement does not necessarily lead to alliances, that is, to actual enrolment. Enrolment does not imply, nor does it exclude, pre-established roles. It designates the device by which a set of interrelated roles is defined and attributed to actors who accept them. Interessement achieves enrolment if it is successful. To describe enrolment is thus to describe the group of multilateral negotiations, trials of strength and tricks that accompany the interessements and enable them to succeed.
5. The mobilisation of allies: are the spokesmen representative?
Who speaks in the name of whom? Who represents whom? These crucial questions must be answered if the project led by the researchers is to succeed. This is because, as with the description of interessement and enrolment, only a few rare individuals are involved, whether these be scallops, fishermen or scientific colleagues.
6. Dissidence: betrayals and controversies.
During recent years, sociologists have devoted numerous studies to controversies and have shown the important role they play in the dynamics of science and technology. Why and in what conditions do controversies occur? How are they ended?
General principles: