300177 Reassembling the organization: STS intelligence (S) (SoSe 2012)

Contemporary organizations are rife with technological artifacts, processes, structures, arrangements, and assemblages. Running organizational action effectively often requires a good deal of technical sophistication and is informed by various kind of professional or scientific expertise. Given these circumstances, the analysis of contemporary organizations benefits considerably from insights and approaches developed within science and technology studies. In this seminar we will explore several options of linking up the sociology of organizations to this vibrant interdisciplinary field. The empirical topics will range from the organizational circulation of information, ERP and knowledge management systems to the management of complex technological resources and technological innovation. With respect to social theory, we will primarily be concerned with the social construction of technology approach, actor-network theory, and ethnomethodology