People, IT, and Structuration (PIS): An Integrative Theoretical Framework for Management Information Systems

The Management Information Systems (MIS) field has long been fragmented, with theories like socio-technical systems, technology acceptance models, and sociomateriality each capturing only part of the picture. In a new paper on arXiv, researchers Wei Huang, Xiaofang Cai, Qiaozhen Guo, Xiaosong Wu, and Xin Tang introduce the People-IT-Structuration (PIS) framework to unify these streams. Drawing on Anthony Giddens' structuration theory, PIS conceptualizes people (P), information technology (I), and structure (S) not as independent variables but as mutually constitutive elements engaged in ongoing co-evolution. The framework resolves persistent tensions in MIS, such as those between technological and social determinism, variance versus process approaches, and micro-level interactions versus macro-level institutional dynamics.

The authors develop formal propositions articulating the mechanisms through which P, I, and S co-evolve, and extend the framework to address contemporary phenomena including artificial intelligence, algorithmic management, and human-AI collaboration. This positions PIS as both a retrospective lens for understanding the discipline's theoretical evolution and a prospective tool for guiding research in the AI era. By synthesizing decades of theory, the framework offers a unified language for studying how technology and organizations shape each other, with direct implications for designing AI systems that align with organizational structures and human workflows.