Abstract
This paper addresses how insights from the social shaping tradition and political process theory may contribute to an understanding of the sociotechnical design and implementation of change. This idea is pursued through the notion of ‘socio-technical spaces’ and its delineation, with respect to the analysis of two distinct cases: Business Process Reengineering (BPR), and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in the light of ‘film-less’ radiological practice, respectively. Socio-technical space is elaborated as being an occasioning as well as a result of sociotechnical choices and processes. It points to the role of socio-material and discursive practices in rendering spaces open to problematisation and action. It is suggested that the notion of socio-technical spaces helps generate a sensitising guide for researchers and practitioners, and is suggested as a constructive means to localising potential political concerns. The paper tentatively points to some analytical implications, and to challenges and possibilities, for the ‘bridging’ between spaces otherwise rendered distinct.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Understanding Sociotechnical Action, Workshop Proceedings |
| Editors | Keith Horton and Elizabeth Davenport |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Publication date | 2004 |
| Publication status | Published - 2004 |
| Event | Understanding Sociotechnical Action 2004 - Napier University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom Duration: 1 Jan 2004 → 1 Jan 2004 |
Workshop
| Workshop | Understanding Sociotechnical Action 2004 |
|---|---|
| Location | Napier University |
| Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
| City | Edinburgh |
| Period | 01/01/2004 → 01/01/2004 |
| Other | No exact date found, but held in 2004. |