Working from Home During Covid-19: Doing and Managing Technology-enabled Social Interaction With Colleagues at a Distance

2023 | Information Systems Frontiers | Citations: 0

Authors: Lal, Banita; Dwivedi, Yogesh K.; Haag, Markus

Abstract: With the overnight growth in Working from Home (WFH) owing to the pandemic, orga ... Expand

Abstract: With the overnight growth in Working from Home (WFH) owing to the pandemic, organisations and their employees have had to adapt work-related processes and practices quickly with a huge reliance upon technology. Everyday activities such as social interactions with colleagues must therefore be reconsidered. Existing literature emphasises that social interactions, typically conducted in the traditional workplace, are a fundamental feature of social life and shape employees’ experience of work. This experience is completely removed for many employees due to the pandemic and, presently, there is a lack of knowledge on how individuals maintain social interactions with colleagues via technology when working from home. Given that a lack of social interaction can lead to social isolation and other negative repercussions, this study aims to contribute to the existing body of literature on remote working by highlighting employees’ experiences and practices around social interaction with colleagues. This study takes an interpretivist and qualitative approach utilising the diary-keeping technique to collect data from twenty-nine individuals who had started to work from home on a full-time basis as a result of the pandemic. The study explores how participants conduct social interactions using different technology platforms and how such interactions are embedded in their working lives. The findings highlight the difficulty in maintaining social interactions via technology such as the absence of cues and emotional intelligence, as well as highlighting numerous other factors such as job uncertainty, increased workloads and heavy usage of technology that affect their work lives. The study also highlights that despite the negative experiences relating to working from home, some participants are apprehensive about returning to work in the traditional office place where social interactions may actually be perceived as a distraction. The main contribution of our study is to highlight that a variety of perceptions and feelings of how work has changed via an increased use of digital media while working from home exists and that organisations need to be aware of these differences so that they can be managed in a contextualised manner, thus increasing both the efficiency and effectiveness of working from home. Collapse

Topics: remote work IT supported collaboration pandemic information system use spreadsheet

Methods: diary study survey qualitative interview theoretical contribution

The Role of ICT Permeability on Work and Family Outcomes When Working from Home

2023 | Americas Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Sundrup, Rui; Ahuja, Manju; Magni, Massimo

Abstract: This study develops and presents a framework that assesses the impact of inform ... Expand

Abstract: This study develops and presents a framework that assesses the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) permeability on work and family outcomes among dual-career couples who live together and work from home (WFH). As these couples depend heavily on ICTs to coordinate work, family responsibilities, and communication with each other, they can face cognitive and emotional limitations. Our model suggests that the level of ICT permeability in WFH situations is positively related to ICT fatigue, which can lead to negative family outcomes. Moreover, we investigate the effect of ICT permeability on positive work outcomes through goal progress. Using a 10-day diary approach with dualcareer couples in live-in partnerships, we provide robust empirical evidence that supports our model. Our findings contribute to the existing literature on WFH, which has been facilitated using advanced ICTs. Collapse

Topics: IT career technostress

Methods: diary study

How Deep is your Work? The Day-to-Day Effects of Information and Communication Technology Use on Deep Work of Employees

2022 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Brust, Leona; Hartwich, Nicole; Breidbach, Christoph; Antons, David

Abstract: Prior empirical work provides contradictory findings on the consequences of inf ... Expand

Abstract: Prior empirical work provides contradictory findings on the consequences of information and communication technologies (ICT) use at work, indicating both positive and negative consequences for employees. Integrating insights from the deep work framework with flow literature and cognitive load theory, we build and test a dynamic theoretical model to explain these contradictory findings. We move the research perspectives of ICT use and deep work to a dynamic perspective and investigate day-to-day changes in ICT use and deep work on the within-person level. The results of our quantitative diary study (n=387) provide evidence that technical ICT use has a positive effect on deep work whereas social ICT use has an inverted U-shaped relationship with deep work. The effects of social and technical ICT use on deep work depend on workplace telepressure, work experience, and knowledge intensity of work. Collapse

Topics: information system use anonymity knowledge work individual characteristic communication service infrastructure

Methods: diary study survey descriptive statistic theory development regression analysis method

Theories: cognitive load theory

Digital assemblages, information infrastructures, and mobile knowledge work

2022 | Journal of Information Technology | Citations: 3

Authors: Jarrahi, Mohammad Hossein; Sawyer, Steve; Erickson, Ingrid

Abstract: We theorize mobile knowledge workers' uses of digital and material resources in ... Expand

Abstract: We theorize mobile knowledge workers' uses of digital and material resources in support of their working practices. We do so to advance current conceptualizations of both "information infrastructures" and "digital assemblages" as elements of contemporary knowledge work. We focus on mobile knowledge workers as they are (increasingly) self-employed (e.g., as freelancers, entrepreneurs, temporary workers, and contractors), competing for work, and collaborating with others: one likely future of work that we can study empirically. To pursue their work, mobile knowledge workers draw together collections of commodity digital technologies or digital assemblages (e.g., laptops, phones, public WiFi, cloud storage, and apps), relying on a reservoir of knowledge about new and emergent means to navigate this professional terrain. We find that digital assemblages are created and repurposed by workers in their infrastructuring practices and in response to mobility demands and technological environments. In their constitution, they are generative to both collaborative and organizational goals. Building from this, we theorize that digital assemblages, as individuated forms of information infrastructure, sustain stability and internal cohesion even as they allow for openness and generativity. Collapse

Topics: information technology infrastructure knowledge work mobile application wireless LAN information system use

Methods: qualitative interview diary study theory development survey qualitative coding

Theories: structuration theory

Understanding Digital Events: process philosophy and causal autonomy

2020 | HICSS | Citations: 11

Authors: Kreps, David; Rowe, Frantz; Rowe, Frantz; Muirhead, Jessica; Muirhead, Jessica

Abstract: This paper argues that the ubiquitous digital networks in which we are increasin ... Expand

Abstract: This paper argues that the ubiquitous digital networks in which we are increasingly becoming immersed present a threat to our ability to exercise free will. Using process philosophy, and expanding upon understandings of causal autonomy, the paper outlines a thematic analysis of diary studies and interviews gathered in a project exploring the nature of digital experience. It concludes that without mindfulness in both the use and design of digital devices and services we run the risk of allowing such services to direct our daily lives in ways over which we are increasingly losing control. Collapse

Topics: mindfulness IT career systems design

Methods: qualitative content analysis qualitative interview diary study synthesis design artifact

Theories: sociomaterialism theory

Do perceived use contexts influence usage behavior? An instrument development of perceived use context

2019 | Information & Management | Citations: 5

Authors: Kim, Jimin; Chang, Younghoon; Chong, Alain Yee Loong; Park, Myeong-Cheol

Abstract: In this study, we advance current knowledge on IS usage behavior by introducing ... Expand

Abstract: In this study, we advance current knowledge on IS usage behavior by introducing the concepts of time, location, social, and technological use in perceived use context. We develop an instrument to verify the effects of use context on intention-to-use game services. We find that contextual factors of perceived use context (i.e., perceived time use, perceived location use, perceived social use, and perceived technological use) influence users’ behavioral beliefs (i.e., perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use), which leads to their subsequent attitude and behavioral intention toward using game services. Grounded in our findings, key implications for theory and practice are discussed. Collapse

Topics: digital service perceived usefulness perceived ease of use usage intention information system use

Methods: data transformation survey design factor analysis principal component analysis partial least squares path modeling

Theories: technology acceptance model activity theory

Impact of Daily Commuting on Cyberloafing and Procrastination

2019 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Lim, Vivien K G; Teo, Thompson; Lua, Egan Wee Khoon

Abstract: This paper examines how commute impedances (crowding and time urgency) are assoc ... Expand

Abstract: This paper examines how commute impedances (crowding and time urgency) are associated with recovery experiences (psychological detachment and relaxation), which in turn are associated with cyberloafing and procrastination. Based on a survey of 106 full-time employees who used public transport (buses and mass rapid transit) to work, we found that relaxation significantly mediated the relationship between crowding and cyberloafing, but did not mediate the relationship between time urgency and cyberloafing. Psychological detachment significantly mediated the relationship between time urgency and procrastination, but did not mediate the relationship between crowding and procrastination. Our results suggest that employees should be cognizant of how their psychological states upon arrival at the workplace can affect their work in the morning. Consequently, employees can incorporate morning workplace rituals that facilitate their psychological transition to work. As well, organizations can implement measures that allow employees reattach back to work in the morning. Collapse

Topics: task characteristic website

Methods: survey diary study regression analysis method Z-test hierarchical linear modeling

Decent Digital Work: Technology Affordances and Constraints

2018 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 10

Authors: Ens, Nicola; Stein, Mari-Klara; Jensen, Tina Blegind

Abstract: Much contemporary work, from knowledge to ‘gig’ work, is now digital. While digi ... Expand

Abstract: Much contemporary work, from knowledge to ‘gig’ work, is now digital. While digital work can be flexible and fun, it is not always ‘decent’ according to the United Nations development goal. The increased use of digital technology has the potential to both facilitate and threaten decent work; however, to date no systematic assessment exists of its impact for different types of digital workers. In this research-in-progress paper, we propose a theoretical framework differentiating four types of digital workers: Gig Worker, Digital Nomad, Nine to Fiver, and Travelling Elite. We illustrate the work-life of each with a vignette and discuss how technology can enable and constrain decent work. We propose a research design based on the diary method to outline how the role of ICTs in decent work can be studied empirically, laying the foundation for better work design in the future. Collapse

Topics: IT work IT workforce platform worker affordance social media

Methods: diary study theory development design artifact qualitative interview literature study

Theories: theory of affordance

COMPARING GOAL SETTING APPROACHES TO BOOST COMPUTER-RELATED PRO-ENVIRONMENTAL BEHAVIORS

2017 | European Conference On Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Staples, Sandy; Webster, Jane; Lv, Shunan

Abstract: This research focuses on improving individuals’ pro-environmental behaviors rela ... Expand

Abstract: This research focuses on improving individuals’ pro-environmental behaviors related to information technology and system use. To do so, we draw on and extend goal-setting theory by comparing three goal interventions: goal-setting, goal-setting plus implementation plans, and goal-setting with both implementation plans and visualization of success. Two longitudinal studies examine individuals’ selfset goals: the first examines employees’ computer-based electricity usage in the workplace over six weeks and the second utilizes a diary approach method over four weeks to examine the effects of different goal setting conditions on students’ environmental outcomes. Both studies find that setting goals increases pro-environmental behaviors. However, rebound effects can occur when interventions are removed. Visualization of success appears to reduce this rebound effect and we suggest that future research continue to investigate methods for reducing rebound, including the roles of values and multiple goals on the efficacy of goal-setting. This paper contributes to Green IS research in several ways: conceptually (by responding to calls for more theory-based research), methodologically (by measuring objective computer-based energy usage in study 1 and by utilizing a diary method in study 2), and practically (by demonstrating the effectiveness of visualization to goal setting). Collapse

Topics: green IS information system use laptop computer

Methods: longitudinal research diary study parametric test survey experiment

Theories: goal setting theory

Changing information retrieval behaviours: an empirical investigation of users’ cognitive processes in the choice of location-based services

2014 | European Journal of Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Constantiou, Ioanna D.; Lehrer, Christiane; Hess, Thomas

Abstract: The introduction of smartphones and the accompanying profusion of mobile data se ... Expand

Abstract: The introduction of smartphones and the accompanying profusion of mobile data services have had a profound effect on individuals’ lives. One of the most influential service categories is location-based services (LBS). Based on insights from behavioural decision-making, a conceptual framework is developed to analyse individuals’ decisions to use LBS, focusing on the cognitive processes involved in the decision-making. Our research is based on two studies. First, we investigate the use of LBS through semi-structured interviews of smartphone users. Second, we explore daily LBS use through a study based on diaries. The findings highlight that the decision to use LBS can be described by either a comparative mode based on the value of LBS in relation to other available options, or an intuitive mode in which past experiences trigger the use of heuristics. These modes in turn have positive influences on the continuance of LBS use and indicate changes in individuals’ information retrieval behaviours in everyday life. In particular, the distinct value dimension of LBS in specific contexts of use changes individuals’ behaviours towards accessing location-related information. Collapse

Topics: decision making information retrieval user behavior smartphone telephone

Methods: qualitative interview diary study survey personal interview descriptive statistic