Towards a theoretical lens to examine the structural impact of adopting Web 2.0

Nagle, Tadhg; Sammon, David

Towards a theoretical lens to examine the structural impact of adopting Web 2.0

Files

4415_Nagle_and_Sammon_ECIME2009_REVISED_FSV.pdf(95.75 KB)

Accepted version

Date

2009-09

Authors

Nagle, Tadhg

Sammon, David

Publisher

Academic Conferences and Publishing International Limited

Abstract

With the widespread integration of Web 2.0 technologies across society and business there is an increasing need to understand their underlying impact. Yet, very little research has been done on such technologies, so much so, that a definition still eludes the academic community. Nonetheless, their impacts cannot be ignored. For instance, from a societal perspective, the proliferation of social networks and attitude towards openness highlights the transformation from hierarchical type social structures to more non-hierarchical (horizontal) systems. However, rigorous analysis of the structural impacts of the technologies in an organisational context is more difficult due to the lack of theoretical frameworks. Moreover, there has been a call for researchers to build their own theoretical frameworks for further understanding in the domain. As a result, this paper aims to add to the body of knowledge by (i) further defining Web 2.0, (ii) reviewing past literature on organisational structure and technology, and (iii) developing a theoretical lens by rediscovering past socio-technical theories.

Keywords

Web 2.0 technologies , Social networks , Organisational structure , Socio-technical theories , Information systems

Citation

Nagle, T., Sammon, D. (2009) 'Towards a Theoretical Lens to Examine the Structural Impact of Adopting Web 2.0', in Ljungberg, J. and Grunden K. (eds.) ECIME 2009: 3rd European Conference on Information Management and Evaluation, Gothenburg, Sweden, 17-18 September. ACPIL proceedings, Reading: Academic Conferences International Limited, isbn:978-1-906638-43-6