Using antenarrative approaches to investigate the perceptions of information systems’ actors regarding failure and success

Abstract

Many Information Systems are viewed as underperforming by failing to meet expectations or deliver value to customers. In order to try and understand why these problems occur we apply narrative methods in the IS domain, taking into account the stories that different groups of actors tell regarding their experiences of the development and use of new information systems. This paper presents the perspectives of multiple actors regarding success/failure and problems encountered in developing and using information systems from their experiences. Qualitative approaches are followed to gather, analyze and interpret the rich, multi-voiced and incoherent generated stories of stakeholders involved in software systems. It is shown that the antenarrative approach that is employed in this study can produce deeper insights into the experience world of involved actors.