A Critical Realist Evaluation of a Hospital Laboratory IT-Enabled Transformation
Abstract
Organizations embarking on information technology (IT)-enabled transformation still face struggles with their execution which offers an opportunity to develop better evidence. Substantial opportunity exists to explore how exactly a transformation as a process evolves over time and how organizational structures (mainly social and technological) interact with human agency to cause successful transformation. Focusing on generative mechanisms—the underlying causal powers driving such transformation process—this research performs an in-depth case study of a hospital laboratory unit involved in IT-driven transformation efforts. Using critical realism philosophy and Archer’s (1995) morphogenesis as a complementary perspective, this study conceptualizes the process of IT-enabled organizational transformation and later uncovers some of the key generative mechanisms that contributed towards successful transformation of this laboratory. Data analysis revealed six plausible key generative mechanisms: (1) framing the need, (2) forming the need, (3) cognition frame aligning, (4) materializing critical thinking, (5) validating, and (6) actualization of affordances. Through these insights, this research further advances a generative mechanism perspective of IT-enabled organizational change besides contributing to the knowledge on IT-enabled organizational transformation and usage of critical realism in studying complex IT phenomena.