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Information infrastructures
This document summarizes key points from two articles about information infrastructures (II). It defines II as shared, open systems consisting of IT capabilities and user communities. II face problems of attracting early users and adapting to diverse demands as they grow. The document proposes using complexity theory and complex adaptive systems (CAS) as a design theory for II to address these problems. CAS principles of creating attractors to boost growth and ensuring adaptability at the "edge of chaos" are presented as ways to tackle the bootstrap and adaptability problems in II. The document concludes with discussion questions about enhancing II adaptability, the role of institutions/power, other relevant theories, and how II can foster innovation.
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Information infrastructures
- 1. Design theory fordynamic complexity in II: the case of building internet Hanseth, O. and Lyytinen, K. (2010). Journal of Information Technology, 25(1), 1-19. Generative Mechanism for Innovation in II Bygstad, B. (2010). Information and Organization, 20(3), 156-168. INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURES Presentation of articles, 20.10.2014 Alfatika A. Dini & Aleksandra Lazareva
- 2. Information Infrastructure Definition • A shared, open (and unbounded), heterogeneous and evolving socio-technical system (which we call installed base) consisting of a set of IT capabilities and their user, operations and design communities (O. Hanseth, K. Lyttinen 2010) • II is composed of other infrastructures, platforms, applications, and IT capabilities. • The evolution of infrastructures is both enabled and constrained by the installed base, whatever is added needs to be integrated and made compatible with this base.
- 3. PROBLEMS RELATED TOII DESIGN • The Bootstrap problem Designers have to come up early on with solution that persuade users to adopt while the user community is non-existent or small • Adaptability Problem When II starts to expand and benefitting from network effects it will switch to a period of rapid growth, in this period designers must be concerned with unforseen and diverse demands • Consequence : Infrastructural flexibility in II so it can adapt socially and technically • CAS =>Dynamic complexity in II Investigate systems that adapt and evolve while they self organize. CAS generates insights to these two design challenges. Two Principles in CAS: 1. create an attractor that feeds system growth to address the bootstrap problem; and: 2. assure that the emerging system will remain adaptable at ‘the edge of chaos’ while it grows to address the adaptability problem.
- 4. CAS AS ADESIGN THEORY TO ADDRESS DYNAMIC COMPLEXITY IN II
- 5. DISCUSSIONS • Howto enhance IT capabilities in adapting new II? • How does success of this theory depend on institution and power relations? •What other theories should be considered in applying this theory? • How can information infrastructure foster innovations ?