Comments on: Four Pillars: On Social Aspects of Technology http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2006/06/23/four-pillars-on-social-aspects-of-technology/ a blog about information Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:20:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: JP Rangaswami http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2006/06/23/four-pillars-on-social-aspects-of-technology/comment-page-1/#comment-131045 JP Rangaswami Sat, 12 May 2007 07:28:30 +0000 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2006/06/23/four-pillars-on-social-aspects-of-technology/#comment-131045 I would also recommend reading Christopher Alexander, Stewart Brand and Jane Jacobs. Software development means something to me only when it builds ecosystems. I would also recommend reading Christopher Alexander, Stewart Brand and Jane Jacobs. Software development means something to me only when it builds ecosystems.

]]> By: Stephen Smoliar http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2006/06/23/four-pillars-on-social-aspects-of-technology/comment-page-1/#comment-130897 Stephen Smoliar Sat, 12 May 2007 00:02:52 +0000 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2006/06/23/four-pillars-on-social-aspects-of-technology/#comment-130897 Richard, if by "IT Development" you mean software development, then there is a very rich literature out there (that might drown you before you write a word of your dissertation)! This was a very big thing in Sweden in the Eighties. The best book from that time and location is Pelle Ehn's WORK-ORIENTED DESIGN OF COMPUTER ARTIFACTS. It will probably be easier for you to find a copy if you are on the European side of the pond. PARC has a copy, but that will not do you much good! Then there is a lot of stuff by John M. Carroll, which should be easier to locate on EITHER side of the pond! Finally, the mouldy-oldie (we're talkin' 1978 here) textbook on DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS by Peter G. W. Keen and Michael S. Scott Morton takes a decidedly social approach to development, making it decades ahead of its time and probably totally ignored by just about all development geeks alive today. Is that the sort of stuff you need to get started? Regarding the positivist connection, I think Ehn is the only one of these authors who uses the term flat-out. However, Keen and Scott Morton are very good at pointing out the dangers of following that party line of that UR-positivist, Herbert Simon. Carroll also has little truck with positivism; but he did not confront the topic in the stuff of his that I read (which does not mean that he does not confront it elsewhere, since he has written a lot of stuff)! Anthony Giddens, of course, is the social theorist PAR EXCELLENCE who took on positivism with great relish; but I do not think he ever wrote explicitly about technology development. Unfortunately (with apologies to Joyce) positivism is the nightmare from which many of us are trying to awaken; but, in most enterprise settings that are obsessed with such concepts as ROI, the bean-counters keep pushing the sleeping potions into our system! Richard, if by “IT Development” you mean software development, then there is a very rich literature out there (that might drown you before you write a word of your dissertation)! This was a very big thing in Sweden in the Eighties. The best book from that time and location is Pelle Ehn’s WORK-ORIENTED DESIGN OF COMPUTER ARTIFACTS. It will probably be easier for you to find a copy if you are on the European side of the pond. PARC has a copy, but that will not do you much good! Then there is a lot of stuff by John M. Carroll, which should be easier to locate on EITHER side of the pond! Finally, the mouldy-oldie (we’re talkin’ 1978 here) textbook on DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS by Peter G. W. Keen and Michael S. Scott Morton takes a decidedly social approach to development, making it decades ahead of its time and probably totally ignored by just about all development geeks alive today. Is that the sort of stuff you need to get started?

Regarding the positivist connection, I think Ehn is the only one of these authors who uses the term flat-out. However, Keen and Scott Morton are very good at pointing out the dangers of following that party line of that UR-positivist, Herbert Simon. Carroll also has little truck with positivism; but he did not confront the topic in the stuff of his that I read (which does not mean that he does not confront it elsewhere, since he has written a lot of stuff)! Anthony Giddens, of course, is the social theorist PAR EXCELLENCE who took on positivism with great relish; but I do not think he ever wrote explicitly about technology development.

Unfortunately (with apologies to Joyce) positivism is the nightmare from which many of us are trying to awaken; but, in most enterprise settings that are obsessed with such concepts as ROI, the bean-counters keep pushing the sleeping potions into our system!

]]> By: JP http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2006/06/23/four-pillars-on-social-aspects-of-technology/comment-page-1/#comment-130859 JP Fri, 11 May 2007 22:39:59 +0000 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2006/06/23/four-pillars-on-social-aspects-of-technology/#comment-130859 Richard, let me know if you need any help. You can get hold of me via jobsworth@mac.com Richard, let me know if you need any help. You can get hold of me via jobsworth@mac.com

]]> By: Richard Bourne http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2006/06/23/four-pillars-on-social-aspects-of-technology/comment-page-1/#comment-130850 Richard Bourne Fri, 11 May 2007 21:53:55 +0000 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2006/06/23/four-pillars-on-social-aspects-of-technology/#comment-130850 I am just on the brink of starting my MBA dissertation. I am basing my research on the social aspect of IT Development. There is little research in my opinion into the social aspects of IT systems. I believe that by doing more research into social aspects of technology will help organisations understand the positivist nature of IT systems. Other social aspects to consider could be hegamony and ICT and the social construction of reality by ICT. I am just on the brink of starting my MBA dissertation. I am basing my research on the social aspect of IT Development. There is little research in my opinion into the social aspects of IT systems. I believe that by doing more research into social aspects of technology will help organisations understand the positivist nature of IT systems. Other social aspects to consider could be hegamony and ICT and the social construction of reality by ICT.

]]> By: James Dellow http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2006/06/23/four-pillars-on-social-aspects-of-technology/comment-page-1/#comment-1698 James Dellow Mon, 26 Jun 2006 14:39:04 +0000 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2006/06/23/four-pillars-on-social-aspects-of-technology/#comment-1698 I completed my Masters in Business & Technology (UNSW in Australia) last year... have a look at the course structure as it might interest you: http://www.mbt.unsw.edu.au/nps/servlet/portalservice?GI_ID=System.LoggedOutInheritableArea&maxWnd=S_CoursesFacilitators You can pretty much count the "hard" IT subjects on one hand. I completed my Masters in Business & Technology (UNSW in Australia) last year… have a look at the course structure as it might interest you:

http://www.mbt.unsw.edu.au/nps/servlet/portalservice?GI_ID=System.LoggedOutInheritableArea&maxWnd=S_CoursesFacilitators

You can pretty much count the “hard” IT subjects on one hand.

]]> By: Gobán Saor » links for 2006-06-25 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2006/06/23/four-pillars-on-social-aspects-of-technology/comment-page-1/#comment-1654 Gobán Saor » links for 2006-06-25 Sun, 25 Jun 2006 14:18:25 +0000 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2006/06/23/four-pillars-on-social-aspects-of-technology/#comment-1654 [...] Confused Of Calcutta » Blog Archive » Four Pillars: On Social Aspects of Technology (tags: insight toread books-to-read social it aspects ict) [...] [...] Confused Of Calcutta » Blog Archive » Four Pillars: On Social Aspects of Technology (tags: insight toread books-to-read social it aspects ict) [...]

]]> By: Ron Silliman http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2006/06/23/four-pillars-on-social-aspects-of-technology/comment-page-1/#comment-1626 Ron Silliman Sun, 25 Jun 2006 04:26:12 +0000 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2006/06/23/four-pillars-on-social-aspects-of-technology/#comment-1626 Yes, I agree with that assessment completely. It's not an accident that Manuel Castells, for example, was an early chronicler of the space. Yes, I agree with that assessment completely. It’s not an accident that Manuel Castells, for example, was an early chronicler of the space.

]]>