The shaping of IT trajectories: evidence from the UK public sector

This paper reports upon IT initiatives in the UK public sector where choices were made, decisions taken, major investment authorised, and new IT introduced. The research investigation followed practice over several years in three Police Forces as new information technologies were introduced. We focus on these IT trajectories, and in particular the actions, interactions and events within and across groups of people. We argue that practices surrounding IT choice are socially shaped. Indeed, the choices and subsequent acquisition can be viewed as part of a process of ongoing configuration. We argue that Social Worlds Theory has much to offer in understanding what happens as IT trajectories evolve in organisations. The empirical part of the paper reports upon the findings from a longitudinal, cross-case analysis within the three Police Forces – institutions that are often characterised as bureaucratic in form, and culture. In each case, the IT trajectories were followed utilising a variety of qualitative techniques. Drawing upon social worlds theory, and boundary objects, we consider the influence of certain ‘objects’ upon IT outcomes, and the way in which other boundary objects become a focus for the construction of apparent facades of formality.