Information Page

Unique attributes

Information Technology & People maintains an openness to multiple paradigms of research including what has been mainstream empirical work. However, the journal emphasizes an agenda to publish hermeneutic, critical, ethnographic and language-focused original research and theory in information systems. We seek cultural and geographic diversity in studies of new technologies and uses that have a special impact on organizational communications, change processes and work practices, and that reflect the varying societal and infrastructural conditions in which information technology is deployed. We look for ways to perceive how people collectively conceptualize, invent, adapt, define and use technology, as well as how they are constrained by features of it. The journal has a primarily organizational focus, but publishes research relating to boundaries between organizational and societal concerns. "Cultures of information" is a topic that intersects industries, global regions and organizations, and is a new theme within our current scope. The emerging uses of IT in organizationally bounded teams and self-organizing groups, in support of software engineering processes, and for regional issues in electronic commerce, are topics which fit the theoretical scope and are an important area of current research.

Topicality

Information technology pervades contemporary life, in the workplace, the marketplace and the home, as well as in national and regional economies. Institutional boundaries are shifting in response to dramatic new capabilities which are still unfolding at a rapid pace. Within the organization, information technology can now integrate all functional areas, as well as supplier and industry relationships worldwide. Information Technology & People focuses on the significance of new social definitions of institutions, the social environment of production and technology implementation, and on the human scale of social processes that are both the basis and the outcome of technological change. Understanding this requires both philosophical depth and international scope, two main features of our editorial purpose.

Information Technology

Information Technology is developing at a rapid pace, opening up new possibilities for automating tasks and enriching the lives of people worldwide . From computer hardware to software applications, information technology is part of our world - converting, storing, protecting, processing, transmitting and securely retrieving information.

The Information Technology community provides free resources pertinent to anyone in any industry touched by computing technologies. Here you’ll find Information Technology industry news, blogs, feature articles, videos and more. Use these tools to educate yourself and stay current with what’s happening in Information Technology.

Key benefits

The effectiveness of an information system is a product of the interaction between organizational goals and practices and the design of technology to meet them. Tacit practices and values, that is, things organizations and people do but take for granted and thus do not articulate, tend not to be elicited in standard system development methods. Development processes contain their own tacit and explicit practices which must often be adapted to incorporate organizational realities. Information Technology & People focuses on a deeper treatment of this context so that system development is in fact strategic, appropriate, flexible, and supports human activity. The journal thus offers the reader a range of readings which broaden the understanding and validate experiences of practitioners about the organizational context of IT. At the same time, the journal publishes leading edge theory and research to open new directions for academics. Information Technology & People has been described by readers as up to date, interesting, relevant and provocative. Therefore it is a source for emerging ideas in information systems development and use.

Key journal audiences

Academics in computer and information systems
Systems developers
Practitioners who manage information systems in organizations
Policy makers

Coverage

Information Technology & People publishes work that is dedicated to understanding the implications of information technology as a tool, resource and format for people in their daily work in organizations. Impact on performance is part of this, since it is essential to the well being of employees and organizations alike. Contributions to the journal include case studies, comparative theory, and quantitative research, as well as inquiries into systems development methods and practice.