Overview / Introduction
Adaptive Structuration Theory (AST) is a communication theory that examines how groups and organizations use technology and structures in the process of decision-making and social interaction. Rather than seeing technology as a fixed tool that determines outcomes, AST emphasizes that people adapt and shape technology in practice. It highlights the dynamic relationship between human agency, group processes, and structural features of technology, making it a widely used framework in organizational communication and information systems research.
History and Background
Adaptive Structuration Theory was developed in the 1980s by Marshall Scott Poole and colleagues as a way to integrate sociologist Anthony Giddens’ Structuration Theory into communication studies. Giddens proposed that structures are both the medium and the outcome of human action, a concept AST applies to technology and group decision-making. Poole and his coauthors adapted these ideas to study how organizations use advanced information technologies in ways that reflect both structural constraints and human choices.
- Originated in the 1980s with Marshall Scott Poole and DeSanctis.
- Built on Giddens’ Structuration Theory (1979, 1984).
- Initially developed to study group decision support systems (GDSS) and organizational communication.
- Expanded to examine broader interactions between people, structures, and technologies.
Core Concepts
AST explains how communication, technology, and social structures interact. It recognizes that structures (rules, resources, norms) shape behavior, but that people also adapt and reshape structures through use.
- Structures: The rules and resources embedded in technologies and social systems.
- Appropriation: The way users take up, adapt, or modify structural features of technology.
- Faithful Appropriation: Using a structure in line with its intended purpose.
- Ironic/Unfaithful Appropriation: Using or adapting structures in unintended or resistant ways.
- Duality of Structure: Structures shape human action, but human action simultaneously reproduces or changes structures.
Applications
AST is most often applied to organizational communication and information systems research, particularly in studying how groups use technology to make decisions or collaborate. It provides a lens for understanding both the opportunities and constraints of technology in communication.
- Group decision-making using technologies such as group decision support systems or online collaboration platforms.
- Organizational studies of how employees adapt enterprise software tools.
- Analyses of how remote teams appropriate video conferencing or project management systems.
- Studies of how power and hierarchy influence technology adoption in organizations.
Strengths and Contributions
Adaptive Structuration Theory made significant contributions to the study of communication, technology, and organizations by bridging social theory with practical applications.
- Brought structuration theory into communication and organizational studies.
- Emphasized the agency of users in adapting technology, countering technological determinism.
- Provided a flexible framework for analyzing evolving technologies.
- Influenced both academic research and practical organizational design.
Criticisms and Limitations
Although widely used, AST has been critiqued for its complexity and abstractness, making it difficult to apply consistently. Critics argue it may be too broad to offer precise predictions about technology use.
- Criticized for being too abstract, making empirical testing challenging.
- Lacks strong predictive power, functioning more as a descriptive framework.
- Application requires deep familiarity with both structuration theory and organizational communication.
- Some argue it underestimates the role of larger institutional and cultural forces beyond immediate groups.
Key Scholars and Works
AST is associated with organizational communication and information systems scholars who extended structuration theory into applied contexts.
- Marshall Scott Poole & Gerald DeSanctis – Adaptive Structuration Theory (1980s–1990s)
- Anthony Giddens – The Constitution of Society (1984), foundational structuration theory
- Poole, DeSanctis, & McCarthy – empirical studies applying AST to group decision-making and technology adoption
Related Theories
Adaptive Structuration Theory overlaps with and complements several theories in communication, organizational studies, and sociology.
- Structuration Theory (Giddens): The foundation for AST’s concepts of structure and agency.
- Media Richness Theory: Focuses on how communication media vary in effectiveness for tasks.
- Technology Acceptance Model (TAM): Examines factors influencing adoption of new technologies.
- Diffusion of Innovations (Rogers): Explains how new ideas and technologies spread.
- Social Construction of Technology (SCOT): Highlights how technology design and use are shaped by social contexts.
Examples and Case Studies
Adaptive Structuration Theory has been applied in a variety of organizational and technological contexts to study how groups adapt and use communication technologies.
- Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS): Poole and DeSanctis showed that the effectiveness of GDSS depended not just on the technology itself but on how groups appropriated its features. Some groups used GDSS faithfully, while others resisted or adapted it.
- Enterprise Software Implementation: Studies of workplace adoption of systems like SAP or Microsoft Teams reveal how employees adapt tools to meet local needs, often creating new practices not envisioned by designers.
- Remote Work Collaboration: AST has been applied to study how virtual teams use video conferencing and digital platforms. For example, some groups use chat functions strictly for formal work, while others appropriate them for informal team bonding.
- Healthcare Systems: Research has examined how doctors and nurses adapt electronic medical record systems, sometimes bending rules to improve patient care.
- Education Technology: AST explains how teachers and students adapt online learning platforms differently, shaping classroom communication in unexpected ways.
References and Further Reading
- Giddens, A. (1984). The Constitution of Society: Outline of the Theory of Structuration. University of California Press.
- Poole, M. S., & DeSanctis, G. (1990). “Understanding the Use of Group Decision Support Systems: The Theory of Adaptive Structuration.” Organizations and Communication Technology. Sage.
- DeSanctis, G., & Poole, M. S. (1994). “Capturing the Complexity in Advanced Technology Use: Adaptive Structuration Theory.” Organization Science, 5(2), 121–147.
- Poole, M. S., Seibold, D. R., & McPhee, R. D. (1985). “Group Decision-Making as a Structurational Process.” Quarterly Journal of Speech, 71(1), 74–102.
- Jones, M. R., & Karsten, H. (2008). “Giddens’s Structuration Theory and Information Systems Research.” MIS Quarterly, 32(1), 127–157.
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