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ICT Enforced Boundary Work : Availability as a Sociomaterial Practice

Rosengren, Calle LU orcid ; Bergman, Ann and Palm, Kristina (2021) In Dynamics of virtual work p.173-196
Abstract
The aim of this chapter is to show how ICT is used by employees to manage temporal and spatial availability for work and private matters. This sociomaterial practice is described in terms of ICT boundary work. The chapter is based on a case study into three multinational industrial companies in Sweden. Time diaries and semi-structured interviews with a sample of thirty-eight employees were used to see how they manage the challenges of digital working life. The results suggest that there is a wide variety between different practices of managing work and private life. These practices seem to be related in part to personal preferences (to integrate or separate the spheres of work and private life) and in part to contextual variables such as... (More)
The aim of this chapter is to show how ICT is used by employees to manage temporal and spatial availability for work and private matters. This sociomaterial practice is described in terms of ICT boundary work. The chapter is based on a case study into three multinational industrial companies in Sweden. Time diaries and semi-structured interviews with a sample of thirty-eight employees were used to see how they manage the challenges of digital working life. The results suggest that there is a wide variety between different practices of managing work and private life. These practices seem to be related in part to personal preferences (to integrate or separate the spheres of work and private life) and in part to contextual variables such as workload, technological infrastructure and the practices of colleagues and family members. It becomes evident that availability—or what it means to be accessible in time and space and responsive to the needs and wants of others—cannot be seen as a dichotomous outcome (i.e., being available or not). Our results also indicate that despite being constantly on call, employees may yet manage the technology in ways that allow separation to some degree when it is wanted. (Less)
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
host publication
Topologies of Digital Work : How digitisation and virtualisation shape working spaces and places - How digitisation and virtualisation shape working spaces and places
series title
Dynamics of virtual work
editor
Roth-Ebner, Caroline and Will-Zocholl, Mascha
pages
173 - 196
publisher
Palgrave Macmillan
ISBN
978-3-030-80326-1
978-3-030-80327-8
DOI
10.1007/978-3-030-80327-8_8
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e764d273-61bb-48b9-9416-696d53702d98
date added to LUP
2020-10-29 16:34:07
date last changed
2022-01-10 10:22:48
@inbook{e764d273-61bb-48b9-9416-696d53702d98,
  abstract     = {{The aim of this chapter is to show how ICT is used by employees to manage temporal and spatial availability for work and private matters. This sociomaterial practice is described in terms of ICT boundary work. The chapter is based on a case study into three multinational industrial companies in Sweden. Time diaries and semi-structured interviews with a sample of thirty-eight employees were used to see how they manage the challenges of digital working life. The results suggest that there is a wide variety between different practices of managing work and private life. These practices seem to be related in part to personal preferences (to integrate or separate the spheres of work and private life) and in part to contextual variables such as workload, technological infrastructure and the practices of colleagues and family members. It becomes evident that availability—or what it means to be accessible in time and space and responsive to the needs and wants of others—cannot be seen as a dichotomous outcome (i.e., being available or not). Our results also indicate that despite being constantly on call, employees may yet manage the technology in ways that allow separation to some degree when it is wanted.}},
  author       = {{Rosengren, Calle and Bergman, Ann and Palm, Kristina}},
  booktitle    = {{Topologies of Digital Work : How digitisation and virtualisation shape working spaces and places}},
  editor       = {{Roth-Ebner, Caroline and Will-Zocholl, Mascha}},
  isbn         = {{978-3-030-80326-1}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{173--196}},
  publisher    = {{Palgrave Macmillan}},
  series       = {{Dynamics of virtual work}},
  title        = {{ICT Enforced Boundary Work : Availability as a Sociomaterial Practice}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80327-8_8}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/978-3-030-80327-8_8}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}