The politics of technology management: Influence and tactics in project selection

It is observed that technical information presented in a formalized way is used as 'rational' evidence to support one particular point of view during the process of project selection. This 'political' action increases the chances of a favoured course of action being carried through provided that its output lends support to the actor's prior viewpoint. It is argued that the framework provided by the rational actor model gives a biased and unrealistic view of the selection process because this political dimension is ignored. In the evidence Presented here, an attempt is made to identify the discriminating factors associated with the supportive use of technical information at the level of the individual, the organization and the project. The data indicate that technical information is most likely to be used in a political manner by mature managers working in relatively small, low-tech companies. It is concluded that the supportive role played by technical information ir political and symbolic in nature.