Communicating Content Through Configurable Media

We studied how project groups in a pharmaceutical organization configure a new Web-based communication medium to communicate project content. The project groups are geographically dispersed and operate in different time zones. In such environments, synchronous or geographically bounded modes of communication (e.g., face to face meetings, telephone) are not always viable options. As such, computer-based communication media become surrogate conduits for day-to-day project communication and exchange of project-related content. In the study, content communicated via the Web-based medium varied between different projects groups in the organization. To explain these variations, we develop a theoretical framework based on genre theory and augment this with perspectives from media richness theory. We illustrate how the augmented framework can explain the variations in communication within two project groups. We find that substantive medium use is likely when there is a fit between an institutionalized communication genre, perceived nature of content, and medium configuration. When there is a poor fit between genre, content and medium, we find evidence that communicators seek to achieve a better fit by manipulating one of these three constructs. We also outline some practical implications for the configuration of Web-based media that support dispersed project groups

If Digitalization is the Answer, Then What Was the Question? A Case Study of How Technostress is Made

Digitalization is followed by technological opportunities as well as consequences such as technostress. Information Systems (IS) technostress research is built upon stress research assumptions, which are deeply rooted in positivist ontologies. In this paper, we take a social constructivist perspective, and we ask the question: How is technostress made in the workplace? We answer this question by employing a case study from Denmark across multiple Danish private organizations. We find that individuals work under deeply rooted and outdated obligations, some dating from the industrialization age (e.g., working from nine to five). Moreover, life in a highly digitalized society places additional pressure leading to technostress, as employees are also citizens. We invite IS research to consider how we might contribute as a discipline to an increasingly digitalization agenda, one that recognizes the unique position we find ourselves in as a discipline through uniting both the dystopian and utopian perspectives on digitalization and finding balanc

Five Principles for Digital Service Innovation in Social Care

Digitalization in the public sector is growing to also include areas such as social care. We investigate the digital service innovation process within home care services in a Danish municipality. Inspired by theory on social materiality, we argue for an approach to digital service innovation within social care as an ongoing and entangled development of human and technological resources. We take an abductive approach as we combine theory on social-materiality and digital service innovation with empirical insights. Based in this, we propose five principles of importance for successful digital service innovation in social care: 1) mutual adaption; 2) piloting; 3) empowered; 4) situated re-innovation, and 5) continuous innovation.Â