Abstract: The study of IT/IS adoption has by far largely relied on social psychological theories which lack the capability to explain why and how systems continue to be used after they are adopted. Incorporating Structuration Theory from the sociology realm, this paper proposes a “structure-pattern” conceptual model for analyzing the adoption and application practice of information systems from an organizational level perspective. Based on this model, a case study with regard to the practice of an e-Government application in Chaoyang District of Beijing City is conducted, so as to validate the interpretive ability of the model, as well as to reveal the evolution process of typical e-Government applications. Results from this case study may provide helpful insights for related practice. It is also demonstrated that Structuration Theory based Concepts and the case study methodology are promising for tackling the long existing difficulties in the traditional IT/IS research.

Key words: Information systems adoption, Structuration theory, Adoption process, E-government, Case study