Corporate smart phones: professionals' conscious engagement in escalating work connectivity

Abstract

This article explores how the adoption of company sponsored smart phones inflicts upon the lives of professionals. Drawing upon qualitative interviews at a law firm in Brazil, the experiences of new smart phone users are reported upon in detail. Increased accessibility, accuracy and speed in exchanges gave the users a sense of autonomy and flexibility. However, the technology also helped to intensify the organisation's hold on employees outside of regular working hours, reaching into new settings, time slots and social contexts. Employees expressed concerns regarding demands from superiors that negatively affected their private spheres, yet many of them paradoxically requested more efficient smart phone connectivity. The article focuses on the justifications, the different narrative strategies, employed by professionals for their conscious engagement in escalating work connectivity. It is suggested that these justifications display users' attempt to 'dis-identify' with the role and practice they perform.

Voluntary Work‐related Technology Use during Non‐work Time: A Narrative Synthesis of Empirical Research and Research Agenda

“…In qualitative research, employees have frequently expressed the perceived pressure exerted by their organizational context to be constantly available and to engage in work-related ICT use during non-work time (Barley et al 2011;Cavazotte et al 2014;Currie and Eveline 2011;Crowe and Middleton 2012;Golden 2013;Harmer et al 2008;Ladner 2008;Lowry and Moskos 2008;Maliszewski 2013;Matusik and Mickel 2011;Mazmanian 2010Mazmanian , 2013Mazmanian et al 2006Middleton 2007;Porter and Kakabadse 2006;Quesenberry and Trauth 2005;Schlosser 2002;Stoner et al 2009;Towers et al 2006). Matusik and Mickel (2011) further outlined that perceived pressure to be responsive is more frequently reported with a high number of different expectation sources (e.g.…”

“…Since ICTs have removed many time-and space-related constraints of non-manual work, flexibility and control regarding when and where work takes place is a frequent theme in research. In numerous qualitative studies, employees have expressed how ICTs have increased (or are assumed to increase) their work-related flexibility and control (Alexander et al 2010;Allen and Shoard 2005;Cavazotte et al 2014;Currie and Eveline 2011;Funtasz 2012;Golden 2013;Lowry and Moskos 2008;Mazmanian 2010;Middleton 2007;Middleton and Cukier 2006;Quesenberry and Trauth 2005;Stoner et al 2009;Towers et al 2006). However, the decrease in perceived flexibility and control has also been reported by employees (Crowe and Middleton 2012;Quesenberry and Trauth 2005).…”

Konstant online og fantasien om ’individuel balance’ - Et psykoanalytisk perspektiv på arbejdsintensivering via mobilen

“…alternativt analytisk perspektiv på de begrundelser, som teknologibrugerne angav for at deltage i konstant opkobling og eskalerende kommunikation (Cavazotte et al, 2014). Vores hovedkonklusion var, at teknologibrugerne anvendte 'afstandtagen' som en slags generel strategi for håndtering af konstant opkobling.…”

“…I vores studie konkluderede vi netop, at det at indtage en humoristisk eller kynisk attitude i relation til den eskalerende kommunikationspraksis, som foregår på daglig basis, faktisk understøttede og accelererede den selvsamme praksis (Cavazotte et al, 2014). Virksomheds kulturer, der accepterer eller eksplicit opfordrer til humoristisk-kritisk afstandtagen, kan bidrage til, at teknologier indføres med mindre gnidninger og modstand.…”

Making Sense of Mobile Technology

“…These pressures come from organizational and managerial expectations to be always accessible but can also be self-induced when individuals are reluctant to separate work and family commitments (Cavazotte, Heloisa Lemos, & Villadsen, 2014). By using technology to access work resources in personal time, individual employees strive to achieve personal objectives, even when the task is ostensibly for the organization.…”