Sociomateriality: Challenging the separation of technology, work and organization

Citation: Wanda J. Orlikowski, Susan V. Scott (2008) Sociomateriality: Challenging the separation of technology, work and organization. The Academy of Management Annals (RSS)
DOI (original publisher): 10.5465/19416520802211644
Semantic Scholar (metadata): 10.5465/19416520802211644
Sci-Hub (fulltext): 10.5465/19416520802211644
Internet Archive Scholar (search for fulltext): Sociomateriality: Challenging the separation of technology, work and organization
Wikidata (metadata): Q73304769
Tagged: Business (RSS)

Summary

In Sociomateriality, Orlikowski and Scott identify a gap in organizational scholarship: a lack of consideration to the role of technology. They identify two essential positions with respect to technology as it is studied in the contexts of organizations: technology as discrete entities and technology as mutually dependent ensembles. They advance a view of sociomateriality as an alternative approach to these two. Sociomateriality takes up the view that technology, organizations, and work are intermingled and that the technical and the social are inseparable.

Theoretical and Practical Relevance

This article clearly details the state of research in management literature about how technology and organizations relate or, in the ANT view, are inseparable. Reviewing these approaches pushes the researcher to clarify the concepts and relationships they are examining, and to weigh alternate approaches.