Narrating the sociotechnical mess: Storytelling in information system projects

Abstract

This article investigates how the core features of narratives and the logic of storytelling are manifested in stories told by the developers and users of an information system and how they may adversely affect their perceptions of the ongoing implementation process. Information systems and the way they operate create a negative cycle where primarily problems possess tellability. We identify a negative masterplot dominating the narratives surrounding information system projects. We examine an ongoing public sector healthcare information system project by analysing both the written narratives of frustrated health and social care professionals on a social media channel and the oral narratives told by employees of the project organisation. These stories reveal a narrative struggle and various strategies, such as positioning, used in sense-making. We suggest that a better understanding of how narratives function could help disentangle the sociotechnical issues involving information system developers and users.