When Flexible Routines Meet Flexible Technologies Paul Leonardi

When Flexible Routines Meet Flexible Technologies Paul Leonardi Northwestern University

Imbrication: MISQ 2011

Imbrication: MISQ 2011 1950 s

Imbrication: MISQ 2011 1950 s or X ?

Imbrication: MISQ 2011 1950 s 1980 s

Imbrication: MISQ 2011 1980 s or X ?

Imbrication: MISQ 2011 1950 s 1980 s 2000 s

? Imbrication: MISQ 2011 2000 s or ?

Imbrication: MISQ 2011 Routines: Patterns of Action involves people interacting with other people and with technologies. Technologies (in-practice): How people enroll technology into their routines. People follow routines when designing technologies and they use technologies to carry out routines

Imbrication: MISQ 2011 Human Agency Material Agency

Imbrication: MISQ 2011

Imbrication: MISQ 2011 Human Agency: Practice of forming and attempting to realize one’s goals Material Agency: Capacity of nonhuman entities to act on their own, apart from human intervention

Imbrication: MISQ 2011 Process of Organizing: Human Agency Material Human Agency Material Agency

Imbrication: MISQ 2011 Imbrication: Arrangement of distinct elements in overlapping patterns so they function interdependently

Imbrication: MISQ 2011 Human Agency Material Human Agency Time Material Human Agency ? Material Human Agency Material Agency

Imbrication: MISQ 2011 Perceptual Construction as Mechanism for Imbrication Within the framework established by previous imbrications, people construct perceptions of whether they need to change their goals or change the materials with which they work

Imbrication: MISQ 2011 Perception of Affordance Human Agency Material Human Agency = Change in Routine

Imbrication: MISQ 2011 Perception of Affordance Human Agency Material Human Agency = Change in Routine in Tech Material Agency Perception of Constraint

Imbrication: MISQ 2011 Perception of Affordance Human Agency Material Human Agency Perception of Constraint Material Agency

Imbrication: MISQ 2011

Implications for Process Research • To understand process, we need to understand: • People’s interactions with people • People’s interaction with things • (maybe) Things interaction with things • Process research requires “zooming” • Scaling up from observations to frameworks • Process research requires iterations of data analysis • Revised research design • Revised approach to analysis • Revised approach to writing up methods