Transitions of power in multi-actor information system projects

Power and politics play an important role in multi-actor information systems where balancing change and stability becomes a goal in itself in order to preserve organizational equilibriums. To investigate this, the paper looks at a project on the implementation of the electronic system of business registration in Albania, a developing country in transition. The study introduces the concept of Obligatory Passage Channels (OPCs), building on Actor-Network Theory (ANT) and the Circuits of Power Model (CPM). An OPC is defined as the mechanism that gives momentum to the flows of power in a multi-actor project network. Findings show that the social circuit of causal power is characterized OPCs related to need and vision. The systemic circuit of facilitative power is shaped by OPCs related to coordination and capabilities. The episodic circuit of dispositional power is characterized by the inter-operability OPC. This study contributes to a better understanding of the network politics in multi-actor information system projects and the transitions of power therein.