This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Brown, A. D. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Managing Understandings: Politics, Symbolism, Niche Marketing and the Quest for Legitimacy in IT Implementation

The Judge Institute of Management Studies, University of Cambridge, U.K.

This paper focuses on the political processes through which legitimacy was sought for a large information technology system by its sponsors and key supporters. It is suggested that this was accomplished by means of a niche marketing campaign in which key stakeholder groups were fed radically differ ent explanations regarding the motivations which prompted investment in the system and its likely implications for them and the organization. The system was legitimated by a combination of 'rational' arguments which appealed to stakeholder self-interest and cultural norms, control over the flow of informa tion, and symbolic action. The research contribution this paper makes is to illustrate the symbolic and political processes, some of which can be inter preted as hypocritical, by which a select group attempted to manipulate other actors' understandings of a large and complex IT system.

Key Words: Descriptors: information technology (IT) • national health service (NHS) • legitimacy • symbolism • politics • niche marketing

Organization Studies, Vol. 16, No. 6, 951-969 (1995)
DOI: 10.1177/017084069501600602


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. A.A. Sillince, G. Harindranath, and C. E. Harvey Getting Acceptance that Radically New Working Practices are Required: Institutionalization of Arguments about Change within a Healthcare Organization Human Relations, November 1, 2001; 54(11): 1421 - 1454. [Abstract] [PDF]

				A. D. Brown and M. Jones Honourable Members and Dishonourable Deeds: Sensemaking, Impression Management and Legitimation in the `Arms to Iraq Affair' Human Relations, May 1, 2000; 53(5): 655 - 689. [Abstract] [PDF]