The role of politics in the implementation of information systems: a hospital case

This paper presents an exploratory study of the effects of organisational politics on the outcomes of an information system implementation project in a hospital organisation. The research was designed as a longitudinal case study, which was informed by an ethnographic method, with the researcher acting as observer and field interviewer. The case results illustrate the consequences of active and passive political behaviour. Passive political behaviour is aimed at avoiding conflict and legitimising the outcomes, rather than producing any substantive results. Active political behaviour on the other hand supports the quick realisation of goals, which, however, need not be the "official" ones. Active political behaviour therefore appears to be an essential but not necessarily sufficient success factor.

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