This book investigates the complex interplay between technological implementation and organizational structure, focusing on how power dynamics and meaning-making influence design outcomes. The authors, Harry Scarbrough and J. Martin Corbett, draw upon extensive research in organizational theory and sociology to challenge the notion that technology is a neutral tool. They argue that the introduction of new systems is inherently political, shaping and being shaped by the social environment in which they are deployed.

Experts in organizational studies recognize this work as a significant contribution to the sociotechnical perspective of management. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which serves as a foundational text for those studying the intersection of technology and workplace power structures.