Control devolution as information infrastructure design strategy
a case study of a content service platform for mobile phones in norway
pp. 367-385
in: , Bricolage, care and information, Berlin, Springer, 2009Abstract
This paper depicts the results of an empirical case study on how two Norwegian telecommunications operators developed a business sector information infrastructure for the provision of mobile content services. Focusing on the context of this technology's development, and the strategic reflections behind its design, implementation and operation, control devolution as a design strategy is explored. This analysis draws on insights presented by Claudio Ciborra in his study of the change from alignment to loose coupling in the Swiss multinational Hoffmann-La. The paper illustrates how control is played out on different levels, and balanced against autonomy. The theoretical implications of this paper highlight how the differences and transformations between information systems and information infrastructures are conceptualized, with the development of the latter better understood in light of a balance between control and autonomy. Consequently, it is suggested that control devolution as a design approach should be based on a deep understanding of the existing control/autonomy balance as well as the distribution of resources, risks and abilities and willingness to innovate.