Managerial Subjectivity and Information Systems: A Discussion Paper

The 'information' of an information system does not have a single or static existence, it holds multiple meanings for those using the system. This paper utilizes a critical theoretical perspective to examine the over emphasis of managerial perspectives on Information System usage. Within the field of Information Systems, the position and relationship of the manager to information is perceived as the primary analytical position for understanding an information system in its totality. This managerial perspective on the system is the foundational Management Information Systems (MIS) model and was developed to interpret system throughput and, as a result, utilizes a static and linear approach to interpreting the meaning of information. By examining meaning and information as an aspect of the socio-cultural environment described as the 'post-modern condition', researchers are able to critique static models. Conceptualizations, such as this, are discussed as being a consequences of the modernist framework that underpins and shapes the field of IS (Information System). This paper critiques the centrality of the managerial perspective and its dominance within this field of research. It is argued that by incorporating other theoretical positions, such as ‘consumption’, into the definition of the system we alter the understanding of that system. This enables a paradigmatic shift towards a more thorough ‘user’-based consumption analysis. Consumption analysis accommodates the fluidity of meaning that a diverse variety of social processes contribute to any information system.