Narrative Networks: Patterns of Technology and Organization

Authors:
Brian T. Pentland;Martha S. Feldman
Affiliations:
Department of Accounting and Information Systems, N259 Business Complex, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824;Department of Planning, Policy, and Design, 226G Social Ecology I, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California 92697
Venue:
Organization Science
Year:
2007

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Abstract

This paper introduces the narrative network as a device for representing patterns of “technology in use.” The narrative network offers a novel conceptual vocabulary for the description of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and their relationship to organizational forms. We argue that as ICTs have become increasingly modular and recombinable, so have organizational processes and forms. The narrative network draws on concepts from structuration theory, actor network theory (ANT), and the theory of organizational routines. A narrative network expresses the set of stories (performances) that have been, or could be, generated by combining and recombining fragments of technology in use. This paper discusses how thinking of technology and organizations as narrative networks influences our understanding of design.