Piloting Socio-Technical Innovations

Introduction Information and communication technologies (ICT) have been a major enabler of change in the world of business, public administration and society at large during the last decades. We work and live differently since ICT have permeated organizations and private life. Not surprisingly, the power of leveraging ICT for socio-technical innovation has been at the forefront of information systems research. In manifold ways such research has given evidence of this power for transformation, as it becomes apparent in the seminal case of OTICON's spaghetti organization that compellingly shows what ICT-based innovations can do if embedded in the very fabric of organizations [Bjørn-A key thrust of IS research is to further understanding of the drivers for and effects of ICT-enabled change in practice. Much of this research is empirical in nature as it quantitatively or qualitatively studies ICT initiatives in organizations or society. Given the abundance of such initiatives in practice this proved to be a fruitful approach for IS research, generating theoretical explanations and management frameworks on ICT-enabled change. One example is the thorough examination of the use, diffusion and strategic impact of electronic data interchange (EDI) in Europe [Krcmar, 1995 #230]. Essentially, the role of a researcher is that of an observer of a given ICT-based innovation, from which he or she can distil theoretical or management-oriented insights. The German tradition of IS research, however, has long emphasized a more design-oriented role for research. Many researchers developed and still are developing new (business) technology or reference models for business technology. While substantial part of this research may be seen as technology-centric, other research initiatives focus more on actually realizing technology-based innovations in field settings. Thus, instead of studying a given ICT-based innovation they take an active role in actually designing and implementing such innovations. This type of research contributes by fostering innovation in businesses, public administration or elsewhere and by generating knowledge for IS as a design science [Simon, 1996 #238]. These two contributions are intertwined. ICT-based innovations are designed artefacts that can only be studied if brought about beforehand. So by definition this results into an innovative information system applied in a field setting. Extending the breadth and depth of applying ICT furthermore puts researchers in the position to contribute to knowledge on designing leading-edge information systems. Pilot projects of ICT-based innovations are a particular type of this design-oriented research. They aim understanding the preconditions for implementing socio-technical …