Feral practices

In this paper we introduce the concept of feral practices which we define as the usage of information technology which deviates from the standard organizational norms and which exists beyond the control and/or knowledge of the organizational IT management. We argue towards using a ‘practice’ perspective in understanding noncompliant IT practices where we suggest a greater emphasis on usage of IT artifacts rather than the artifacts itself. We also outline a scope of feral practices by clarifying some of the concepts associated with the phenomenon. We propose a model based on the Merton’s Theory of Anomie, which seeks to explain why feral practices come about and what are the technological and social influences and supporting factors which lead to this phenomenon. This study thus intends to build a conceptual base for future studies on feral practices by providing a holistic view on the phenomenon and also identify directions for future research.<br />