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Non technical and irrational in
IS/IT
Alexandru Toma
Jan 31st2011
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Plan of the presentation
Initial disclaimer
Forms of symbolism in IT
Metaphor in organization science and IT
Categories of information systemsdevelopment (ISD) metaphors
Some examples
Summary
Final disclaimer/next seminar
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Initial disclaimer
You know most of what I will be talking about.
The interest is in what other people
say/think/write about. I can't even consider
myself a specialist - at least not a practician. Not everything is constructive (may be
subversive)
Choices made from an enormous literature However, no philosophy here
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Interesting reading 1: symbolism in
IS
Scientific (research) paper
Symbolism (not literal meaning / limited
rationality) in organization science / IS
Myth, metaphor and magic
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Myth: dramatic narrative, explains,
justifies "Traditionally, symbols evoke a negative connotation-
that myths, for example, are opposed to reality, that theyare antithetical to fact-but they need not."
Example of myths:
User involvement is beneficial and should be encouraged Resistance to IS is dysfunctional and should be eradicated
IS need to be integrated
The system developer is the best person to decide aboutthe system
Politics should not be the concern of the system developer The key to successful design is the use of a top-down approach
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Magic
Just works
Main difference from science / technology
is that we dont understand why, but is
repeatable
Matter of point of view / knowledge
Procedure vs ritual
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Interesting reading no. 2: Brooks
No Silver Bullet
Software development is (essentially)
difficult because of:
Invisibility
Conformity
Change Complexity
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From No silver bullet
"The reality of software is not inherently embedded inspace. Hence, it has no ready geometric representationin the way that land has maps, silicon chips havediagrams, and computers have connectivity schematics.
As soon as we attempt to diagram software structure, wefind it to constitute not one, but several, general directedgraphs superimposed one upon another. [] In spite ofprogress in restricting and simplifying the structures ofsoftware, they remain inherently unvisualizable []. This
lack not only impedes the process of design within onemind, it severely hinders commun icat ionamongminds."
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Communication
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Interesting reading 3: Metaphors
we live by Lakoff and Johnson 1980
Main point: Metapho r is fo r most people a device ofthe poet ic imaginat ion and the rhetor ical f lour ishamatter of extraordinary rather than ordinary language.Moreover, a metaphor is typically viewed ascharacter ist ic of language alone, a matter of word srather than tho ught or act ion. For this reason, mostpeople think they can get along perfectly well withoutmetaphor. We have found, on the contrary, thatmetaphor is pervasive in everyday l i fe, no t just in
language but also in tho ught and act ion.Our ordinaryconceptual system, in terms of which we both think andact, is fundamentally metaphorical in nature. [Lakoff etJohnson 1980].
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Some history of metaphor in
organization science
Organization science debates ( Morgan,
Pinder and Bourgeois, Tsoukas)
Images of organisation
Perhaps the most interesting two
oppositions:
One or multiple metaphors for the same
object
Explain or make a (political) point
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Interesting reading 4: Images of
organizations
Morgan, 1980
Organization is a machine (dominant
metaphor)
Organization is a living organism
Organization is a brain (self-organizing)
Organization is conflict (union vsmanagement)
Multiplicity of points of view
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Multiple perspectives, all false,
mutually exclusive
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Multiple perspectives, all partially
true, not mutually exclusive
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Multiple perspectives, all right
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Multiple perspectives, one right,
one wrong
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Types of metaphors of IS, IT, ISD
Same exercise for IS / IT / ISD
Metaphor classification in families
Dominant
Alternative
Counter-metaphors
rationnel
Irrationnel / drisoire
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Dominant metaphors
Essentially construction
Terms: architecture, framework,
Other material artefacts
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Critic of dominant metaphors
+ rationality
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Alternative metaphors
Culture, culture shock
Service
Communication Unique project (WWII Fighter Command
information systemCheckland)
Role playing game (DnD) Medecine, law
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Counter-metaphores
Religion / sects / magic
Archeology, bazaar
War Fashion
Propaganda
Leasure, bricolage Derision (animals, objects)
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Explain or make a point?
In principle, metaphors can be used to
explain (teaching, communication) or for
political purposes
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Other view
Dear SMEs, On behalf of my team, I would like to sincerely thank each and every one of you
for all your valuable contribution to AIPS Programme.
Your involvement in every stage of the project starting from requirementscollection, business process design, process testing, data conversions,integration testing and change management has helped us to ensure we areable to build a robust solution which meets the business needs as well as
incorporates the best practices and improved business procedures which willbenefit the entire Agency.
First few months will be naturally challenging in adjusting to the new ways ofdoing things and in acquiring adequate knowledge of using the new system inthe right manner and I hope we will get over the same fairly quickly. Dedicatedwalk-in sessions are available for all staff to facilitate a smooth transition.
Please note that Classroom Training and e-learning are still available andplease ensure you undertake the required e-learning courses and encourage
your colleagues also to do the same. Thanks once to all the Subject Matter Experts involved in AIPS Programme.
Satya Devata
AIPS Project Leader
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Possible alternate metaphors
Lord of the ringscommunity of the ring
Inverse metaphor: business as master and
IT as servant
How you frame things is important
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The chimpanzee tea party
Political / subversive
Because of the cultural difference, the
tools (cutlery, crockery) arent used as
they should
Focus on something useless
(methodology)
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Some particularly interesting
metaphors for IS / IT / ISD
Culture
Politics
Role-playing game
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Interesting reading 5
ScheinOrganizational Culture and
leadership
What is a culture?
Artefacts (visible)
Values (more or less visible)
Shared beliefs (non questionable, invisible)
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From Schein
What is defined as physical, social, or individualreality is itself the product of social learning andhence, by definition, a part of a given culture
("Social reality refers to those things that
members of a group regard as matters ofconsensus, that are not externally, empiricallytestable.")
One of the reasons why business decisions are
often difficult to make and why management isan intrinsically complex activity is the lack ofconsensus on whether a given decision areabelongs in the realm of physical or social reality.
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IS/IT/ISD as a role-playing game
"You are standing in an open field west of
a white house, with a boarded front door.
There is a small mailbox here.
Your avatar goes through the game,
collecting/losing objects, health points
You dont always know the rules of the
game at the beginning (most interesting)
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The RPG/DnD metaphor
Some setups are particularly fit to the
game metaphor (job interview)
But it can be applied anywhere, ie career
management, project management
Lets imagine rules for the meeting game
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The meeting game
The most productive meeting is the one thatdoesn't take place.
If it does, be sure to have the right people in theroom, agenda, minutes, follow-up of decisions.
Be sure communication takes place (invisibility).
Be sure the trade-off needs are understood anddealt with.
Be sure that conflicting goals of subgroups orpersons can be negotiated or decided by ahigher authority
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Metaphors for IT frameworks
Like ITIL, CISSP, PRINCE2
What are they (like)?
Science?
Technology?
Magic?
Philosophy?
Religion?
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Some interesting books
Morgan
Donald Norman
Brooks Weinberg
deMarco and Lister
More to come athttp://kc.iaea.org/livelink/llisapi.dll/open/30
220452
http://localhost/var/www/apps/livelink/llisapi.dll/open/30220452http://localhost/var/www/apps/livelink/llisapi.dll/open/30220452http://localhost/var/www/apps/livelink/llisapi.dll/open/30220452http://localhost/var/www/apps/livelink/llisapi.dll/open/302204528/13/2019 Non Technical and Irrational in Is
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Possible follow-up topics
Enterprise architecture,
IT frameworks / methodologies,
More detailed presentation of metaphorsfor IT including counter-metaphors,
Silver bullets,
Management/IT fads and fashions
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Summary
Obviously no ethical considerations. What is
good/bad (in the rules/out of the rules) depends
on how you (subjectively) frame the game. You
decide how you play. No easy answers. Sociotechnical methods
(some of them mentioned in Hirschheim &
Newman paper) were not a success. I don't
have a silver bullet, I can't save the world as thecomic heroes shown before do. however...
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Summary
Metaphors are powerful. metaphors are
dangerous (Hitler, Dilbert). Use, don't abuse
Know how to defend against aggressive, political
metaphors (might be hard) Be sure you understand the game you play
Be sure you understand the game your partners
(manager, colleagues, subordinates) play
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Summary
Be sure not to be locked in one only metaphor
Calculating moves might work better, but
depends on you
Sometimes reality is simple, straightforward anda metaphor will do more harm thank good
If you have comments/horror stories that you
might want to make/tell in private, for
anonymous research purposes, I'm interested
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Final disclaimer
Old Romanian joke
Those who can, do.
Those who can't, teach others how to do.
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Final disclaimer
Old Romanian joke
Those who can, do.
Those who can't, teach others how to do. Those who can't even teach, manage.
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Next seminar
February 28th
Can unauthorized hacking ever be ethical?
Marti