Sociomaterial capabilities in integrated oil and gas operations - Implications for design

Abstract

Organisations must design and innovate capabilities in a symbiotic evolution between social and technical elements. Information Systems (IS) literature has successfully demonstrated the relationship between the material technology and the social organization, and how both influnce each other. However, research has tilted in terms of favouring the explanatory power of either social or material agencies. To address this we suggest viewing the relationship as a sociomaterial capability addressing key organisational objectives. To understand the role of IS in such a capability, an approach addressing the bi-directional and flexible relationship is needed. We explore sociomateriality and draw empirically on a holistic case study in an international oil and gas company. The result shows how two sociomaterial capabilities, convergence and maintenance, are performed to contain tensions between global requirements and local contexts and between rigidity and flexibility. Second, bridging capability with the information infrastructure design theory, we derive seven principles for information system design to support organisations.