The enactment of significance: a unified conception of information, systems and technology

Paul Beynon-Davies

European Journal of Information Systems, 2010, vol. 19, issue 4, 389-408

Abstract: This paper introduces a new perspective that helps unpack the relationship between information, systems and technology within the nature of human organisation. We argue for an area of interest located at the intersection of signs and systems, which involves the enactment of forma, informa and performa. To demonstrate the utility of this perspective, we deliberately consider a ‘strange’ case from a different time, space and culture. We discuss the nature of human organisation among the Inka Empire and how this organisation was reliant upon the enactment of significance, particularly in relation to an artefact known as the khipu. We conclude with a discussion of the value of our framework in helping us understand the complex entanglement of information, systems and technology within human organisation.

Date: 2010
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DOI: 10.1057/ejis.2010.34

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