Sociomateriality in Information Systems: Analysis Report

This report provides an analysis of sociomateriality, focusing on its theoretical foundations and application within information systems (IS). The report examines several key articles and concepts, including agency realism and critical realism. It explores how sociomateriality addresses the lack of theoretical application in the IT field and the relationship between employees and resources within organizations. The report also discusses the importance of material elements in social and organizational contexts, addressing potential challenges and wrong turns in sociomateriality's implementation. Furthermore, it highlights the role of technology in organizations and the concept of sociomateriality in understanding the relationship between technology and management. The analysis covers socio-technical systems theory, and the integration of social and material agencies within work practices.

Running head: ANALYSIS OF PAPER
ANALYSIS OF PAPER
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Topic Name: Theoretical foundations for the study of sociomateriality
Key Model: agency realism, critical realism
Application in IS scenario: The application of the information technology is inclined to the
practical application. However, experts have faced lack of theoretical application in this field.
The application of the sociomateriality can help to manage this gap in this case.
Summery:The IT is inclined to the practical application of the knowledge. However, the labor,
material and the employee relationship in the IT industry is not well defined and there is a lack of
theoretical framework. It can be said that the technology is the implementation of the
organizational function (Leonardi 2013). However, the relationship between the employees and
the resources can be determined by sociomateriality. Sociomateriality helps to find out the
organization what is going wrong in the organization.
Topic Name:Sociomateriality- Taking the wrong turning?
Key Model:Sociomateriality
Application in IS scenario:Sociomateriality is focused on understanding the importance of the
material in the social and organizational perspective.Sociomateriality helps to maintain the
realism of resources. Sometimes the data used in the information technology are needed to be
mapped in a proper way in order to achieve realism.
Summery: There is a need to bring the material and the information at the center of the
organization and in this case sociomateriality can lead to the wrong turn (Mutch 2013). In case, if
the origin of the problems are discussed in a certain way the domain of information technology

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have their roots in original formulations. Sociomateriality can be helpful if the true from
conceptualization of the information I used in the system.
Topic Name:Sociomateriality: Challenging the Separation of Technology, Work and
Organization
Key Model:Sociomateriality
Application in IS scenario:In the functioning of the organization, technology plays an
important role. However, technology seems understudied in the field of organizational research
(Orlikowski and Scott 2008).This can become serious concern for the organization. In this
context the concept of Sociomateriality has been discussed in order to understand the
relationship between the technology and the management.
Summery: Differet forms of sociomateriality increases the capacity of the transaction between
the time and the space. The form of sociomateriality increase the invisibility o the technology as
this concept is heavily inclined towards theoretical definitions. The invisibility of the technology
makes the daily work practice problematic as the changes and understanding and capturing the
changes in the system become uncertain.
Topic Name:What Do These Terms Mean? How Are They Different? Do We Need Them?
Key Model:“Materiality,” “Sociomateriality,”
Application in IS scenario:Socio-technical systems theory is that conceptualization of a
technical sub-system very much resembles what scholars today call “sociomaterial practice.”

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STS scholars showed, empirically, that the materiality of a new technological artifact could be
used in a variety of different ways to support various tasks and/or task apportionments (Leonardi
2012).
Summery:Although they did not have the language to describe it, their findings do suggest that
social and material agencies became imbricated in ways that produced various local orientations
to work – whether in coalmines or weaving sheds. The technical subsystem, then, was not just
comprised of technological artifacts but was instead a sociomaterial practice in which people’s
goals.

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References
Leonardi, P.M., 2012. Materiality, sociomateriality, and socio-technical systems: What do these
terms mean? How are they different? Do we need them. Materiality and organizing: Social
interaction in a technological world, 25.
Leonardi, P.M., 2013. Theoretical foundations for the study of sociomateriality. Information and
organization, 23(2), pp.59-76.
Mutch, A., 2013. Sociomateriality—Taking the wrong turning?. Information and
organization, 23(1), pp.28-40.
Orlikowski, W.J. and Scott, S.V., 2008. 10 sociomateriality: challenging the separation of
technology, work and organization. The academy of management annals, 2(1), pp.433-474.