ICT, an enabling Force - Service Location, Work Forms, and the Individual. A Case Study of Scandinavian Teleworkers in the Sun Belt

Abstract

During the last decade, developments in information and communication technology (ICT) have affected society in various ways. The present paper focuses on ICT as an enabling force for the individual in the context of service location and work organisation. The empirical findings are based on a case study of Scandinavian teleworkers in the Sun Belt. The theoretical context provides a brief discussion about service activities, changes in the organisation of work and the implications of ICT on services, service location as well as on work forms. It can be concluded that ICT is creating more scope for individualism by providing the means for alternative work forms, such as telework, and thereby giving the individual more freedom in the choice of when and where to work. Recent statistics show that an increasing part of the Swedish population is taking advantage of the progressive European integration that has led to the free movement of persons. Migration from Sweden in the 90 ’s has increased steadily with recent investigations indicating a long-term trend. Since the perspective of the study is that of the individual, micro mobility theories have been used to explain the location process, supplemented by a human network approach (range and reach). The case study of Scandinavian teleworkers conducted in the Sun Belt in southern Europe presents a number of interesting findings. The respondents are heterogeneous with respect to age, civil status, duration of residence, and previous mobility. The service activities performed are mainly of a symbol-analytic character ; ICT constitutes an important instrument for their exertion. It is found that no single micro mobility theory is alone able to encompass all the different aspects of a move. In some cases, the move can be explained in terms of life cycle stages, whereas in other cases push and pull factors offer great explanatory value. However, personal rather than professional motives tend to cause the move, the subjective perception of the quality of life being an important aspect. Furthermore, although ICT is used to a great extent by the respondents, people remain rooted in a geographic landscape, even in those cases where location is of a periodical nature. Man is a social creature, and cannot live or work in complete isolation ; therefore, “spaceless cybervisions ” do not reflect reality in a truthful way. The theoretical and empirical findings of the study indicate that service location can indeed be explained by individualistic factors, and such aspects must therefore be taken into consideration in the study of the spatial geography of services.