This book investigates the complex tension between centralized corporate control and the organic, unpredictable evolution of information infrastructures within large-scale organizations. The authors, a collective of prominent scholars in information systems and organizational studies, utilize longitudinal case studies to challenge the assumption that technological implementation can be strictly managed from the top down. By analyzing the gap between intended design and actual usage, the text argues that information infrastructures are subject to a process of 'drift' that requires a more adaptive, nuanced management framework.

Experts in the field of information systems recognize this work as a foundational text for understanding the limitations of traditional management models in the digital age. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which provides a rigorous, research-based perspective on the realities of corporate infrastructure management.