‘Swarming’ with ‘Software’ in ‘Space’: The impact of organisational culture, human networks and community space on the development of ICTs in the third sector

Abstract

This paper combines Hofstede’s (1991) concept of ‘software of the mind’ to describe organisational cultures and Kelly’s (1994) idea of ‘swarming’ to describe the formation and behaviour of human networks with Wenger’s (1998) description of ‘community space’ to assess the impact of culture, networking and community space on the development of ICTs in the third sector in the UK. Hofstede put forward the idea that the position occupied within an organisation defines attitudes towards organisational culture; Kelly conceives human networks as forming patterns of behaviour which ‘swarm’ from one pattern to another; Wenger argues that concepts of community space are indicative of patterns of learning, meaning and identity. If we apply these theories to the development of ICTs in the third sector, it is possible, through the use of case studies, to identify why and how central government policy towards this area has developed over the last ten years.