Information systems actability: Tracing the theoretical roots

Information systems actability is a theoretical and methodological approach to technology-based information systems in organizations. Its emphasis is on communication and its basic view is that information systems are instruments for technology-mediated work communication. It received its original t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Semiotica 2009-06, Vol.2009 (175), p.379-401
Main Author: Goldkuhl, Göran
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
communicative action
information system
pragmatics
SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP
social action
SOCIAL SCIENCES
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Summary:Information systems actability is a theoretical and methodological approach to technology-based information systems in organizations. Its emphasis is on communication and its basic view is that information systems are instruments for technology-mediated work communication. It received its original theoretical inspiration from speech act theory and the language action perspective. Information systems actability has been further developed and it has obtained theoretical inspiration from many other traditions and theories. This article presents a coherent analysis and view of information systems actability and traces its different theoretical roots. Besides the language action perspective and speech act theory, information systems actability gets its current theoretical backing from theories and knowledge traditions like pragmatic philosophy, classical semiotics, social action theories, affordance theory, semiotic HCI engineering, conversation analysis, discourse theory, and activity theory. The article contributes with a synthesizing analysis of different information systems actability publications and reconstructs the theory and presents it in a condensed form in fourteen propositions.
ISSN:0037-1998
1613-3692
DOI:10.1515/semi.2009.054