Five-Stage Framework of Technology Domestication in the Workplace: An Organisational Case Study of Implementing a Mobile Management Software

Abstract

With the rise of remote working due to the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, organisations today increasingly adopt mobile collaborative technologies such as instant messaging platforms, enterprise social media, and project management software to facilitate a variety of work and communication practices. While previous studies on workplace digital transformation have surfaced the wide-ranging implications of digital technologies for organisational functioning, the complicated process of integrating new technologies into an organisation’s workflow, especially in Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) settings, is hitherto understudied. Given the pressing need of digitalisation and the myriad challenges faced by SMEs, it is imperative to uncover the complexity of collective decision-making, interaction, and negotiation during the process of implementing digital technologies in the workplace environment of SMEs. As an effort to shed light on this missing link, we conducted an in-depth ethnographic case study on the dynamic process of implementing a self-developed mobile management software in a construction SME in Singapore. Drawing on technology domestication theory, a five-stage workplace technology domestication framework was developed in which various stakeholders, including the company’s CEO, office staff, shop floor workers, and the developer team, engaged in ongoing and multifaceted negotiations revolving around the application of the new technology and the changes it heralded. During the domestication process, the functionality and meanings of the software as well as employee acceptance and user experiences were continuously reconfigured by a constellation of technological, individual, organisational, and sociocultural conditions. This study uncovers the iterative and participatory nature of technology design and implementation in the workplace, thereby opening up a promising approach for SMEs to maximise benefits from digital transformation with limited resources available.