The Encyclopedia of Management Theory features Adaptive Structural Theory (AST) prominently as a key paradigm for comprehending the complex interaction between organizational transformation and technology. An overview of adaptive structural theory, its historical evolution, essential ideas, and contributions to clarifying the dynamic interaction between organizational practices and technology uptake are provided in this abstract.The pioneering work of sociologist Anthony Giddens in the 1980s may be credited with the development of adaptive structural theory. AST studies how the duality of structure and agency impacts the acceptance and implementation of technological advances inside organisations, building on the principles of structuration theory.Fundamentally, the Adaptive Structuration Theory acknowledges that technology is not only an outside force that is imposed on organisations, but rather a socially embedded phenomena that organizational members can perceive, negotiate, and modify. People often refer to organisations as "structuration systems," in which rules, standards, and routines serve as the framework for human behavior, which then reproduces and changes these structures.According to AST, the adoption and use of technology involves a cyclical process of structuration in which organizational practices and technological advancements interact in a continuous and dynamic feedback loop. This interplay between technology and organisations results in the formation of novel organizational processes, the introduction of new practices, and the reorganization of current structures.
