How Do Mobile ICTs Enable Organizational Fluidity: Toward a Theoretical Framework

Abstract

The focus of this theoretical paper is to investigate how mobile information and communication technologies (ICTs) give rise to the notion of organizational fluidity. Drawing upon previous literature, five affordances of mobile ICTsmobility, connectedness, interoperability, identifiability, and personalizationare discussed. Delving into the concept of organizational fluidity, the paper captures three dimensions of organizational fluidity, namely, team fluidity, task fluidity, and control fluidity. The paper then develops propositions on how different combinations of the mobile ICT affordances influence each of the dimensions of organizational fluidity. The contributions and implications of the paper are discussed.

The complementarity of autonomy and control in mobile work

“…Leclercq-Leclercq-Vandelannoitte et al (2014, p. 543) outline how an information network keeps consultants in a position of "allowed subjection"although they are mobile, flexible and autonomous, the information network that connects them to the organisation "even leads them to build their own control through the co-construction of a norm of permanent availability" (p. 554). Chatterjee et al's (2017) conception of fluid control builds on this idea. In essence, what is described here is very similar to the complementary control system that is central to our study, and clearly connects to our idea of informational affordances.…”

“…The increasing adoption and use of digital technologies in the workplace is rapidly changing the way work is organised and takes place in practice. One of the most prominent changes we have witnessed over the past years is the increasingly mobile nature of work (Chatterjee, Sarker, & Siponen, 2017;Yuan, Archer, Connelly, & Zheng, 2010). Today's workplace is dominated by laptops, smartphones, and tablets that enable employees to access, create, process and exchange work-relevant information wherever they are, and whenever they have the opportunity or need to do so (Leonardi, Treem, & Jackson, 2010).…”

Organisational hybridity and fluidity: deriving new strategies for dynamic knowledge management

“…Indeed, especially in knowledge-intensive industries, technology provides a medium for knowledge management practices as well as for everyday communications and interactions. It serves as an enabler of organisational fluidity (Chatterjee et al, 2017) by enabling improvisational capability (Pavlou & El Sawy, 2010). Furthermore, the radical adoption of mobile technology enables the fullfledged distribution of work and moves the knowledge worker to a continuous liminal state of being "betwixt and between" space, time, tasks, and technology (Stein et al, 2015).…”

ICT Empowers the Formation and Development of Rural E-Commerce in China

“…Employees / organization Different combinations of mobile ICT affordances (including mobility, connectedness, interoperability, identifiability, and personalization) positively influence organizational fluidity. [18] Users / Organization Nine salient affordances offered to users by health information technology can support the achievement of organizational goals, and can be actualized through the effective use of electronic healthcare record. [53] Users / Community Social media use allows multiple actors to take on interdependent emerging roles and actualize connective affordances when actors spontaneously and informally take on team interdependent roles.…”

“…Third, this study provides a new insight into critical actors who triggered social change through ICT. Affordances are taken as an analytical construct [14] to clarify how ICT enables critical actors [15], such as grassroots leaders [16] and organizations [17,18], and further elaborate the formation of Taobao Village. The research question "how does ICT shape and empower rural e-commerce (which is referred to as Taobao Village in this study)" is solved through the description of the development of three Taobao Villages.…”