Employee sensemaking in the transition to nomadic work

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a qualitative study of employees' sensemaking as a social, communicative process during a major organizational transformation. Design/methodology/approach -This case study describes a major transition in work mode, from traditional officing to nomadic work. Nomadic work is a radical new mode of work that emphasizes: worker mobility both at and away from the company facility; a paperless operation; and integrated technological platforms that enable knowledge work and flexible, project-based organizing. Relying on participant observation and interviews, employee accounts were gathered of their experiences as told during the change implementation. Findings -It was found that shocks noted in social interaction indicated that employee sensemaking was anchored by frames relying on identity, culture, or structure as the primary stabilizing discourse called into question. The findings suggest that employees used sensemaking to work out the tensions between social action and the systemic realities of organizational life. Originality/value -The study contributes to the organizational literature by responding to the call for more research on social interaction during change implementation processes and on the implementation of new information technologies.

Collaborative workplaces for innovation in service companies: barriers and enablers for supporting new ways of working

“…CWs often involve the adoption of flexible work practices that provide people with the flexibility to collaborate across workgroups and functions, depending on the activity requirements (Bean and Eisenberg 2006;Ten Brummelhuis et al 2011;Hoeven and Zoonen 2015;Gerdenitsch et al 2015). This affects communication efficiency, information sharing and workplace support relationships (Collins et al 2016;Gajendran and Harrison 2007).…”

Collaboration in open-plan offices

“…Flex offices and combi offices are similar to large open-plan offices in form, but vary in terms of function. In flex offices (also known as non-territorial or hot-desk offices), employees do not have allocated desks, but must choose a new desk each time they come into the office (see also Bean & Eric, 2006;Elsbach, 2003;Hirst, 2011;Warren, 2006). In combi offices (also known as activity-based offices), the space is not organised around individuals, but around tasks, with different spaces provided for individual work, client meetings, team work and other activities (Bodin-Danielsson & Bodin, 2008).…”

Work Practices, Nomadicity and the Mediational Role of Technology

“…Rossitto and Eklundh (2007) characterise the concept as a work condition that entails (a) the absence of a stable workplace where work activities can be carried out and (b) the experience of a complex system of environmental, temporal and technological discontinuities. Bean and Eisenberg (2006) consider nomadicity as a "radical new form of work" that is based on the workers' mobility both at and away from their company, on paperless operations (i.e. use of digital resources for work) and on integrated technological platforms.…”