The Articulation of Shared Meaning in Information Systems Development

This paper presents a case study showing how Repertory Grid Analysis (RGA) can be used to construct shared meaning during information systems development, implementation and use. RGA was used as one of the evidence gathering techniques during a multi-site interpretive study of the development and implementation of the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) in England and Wales. The case study demonstrates the capacity of such constructions to identify problems arising during and after implementation as information systems are assimilated into their organisational setting. Using participants’ constructions of issues, concerns and values, the research demonstrates how the tendency for the information systems development process to be abstracted from the social setting of the system can be reduced. The case study presents an innovative model of co-operation between information systems developers, users and researchers.