A sociocybernetic approach to information systems development

A principal problem of information systems (IS) development today is how to integrate the work activity and social context of users into the IS which is being designed. This paper aims to delineate a sociocybernetic approach which enlightens the relationship between IS design activity, use activity, and the embedded social context. First and second order cybernetics are em ployed as a general skeleton or structure for conducting the sociocyberneti c approach. Approaches from social autopoiesis theory and activity theory a re introduced respectively, to provide the skeleton of cybernetics with fle sh and blood elements of real problems. An emerging conceptual body resulti ng from an organic integration of the cybernetic structure and social-psych ological elements which demonstrates the relationship between IS design act ivity, use activity, and embedded social context is presented.