From "Fishbowl" to "Switchboard"

 

This week, I read the chapter, 'Networked Work' in Raine and Wellman's (2012) Networked. If you didn't read this chapter or just did a quick skim, you are in the right place. 

The chapter begins with a trip to the past, where workplaces were filled with workers (mainly men) sitting in their own offices, working 9-5 jobs, interacting face-to-face. Pens, papers and the occasional phone call were common and work itself never came home. Now, we flash forward to the workspace today, where networked work and organizations are commonplace. 

Networked work in Networked Organizations

Raine and Wellman (2012) identify 5 related trends: 

1. With the rise in globalization of work, consumerism and travel, workers and companies are able to connect with more colleagues and customers 
2. There has been a shift from atom work (work in material economy: mining, making, transporting) to bit work (selling, describing, analyzing through words and pictures). There has been a rise in "creatives," or individuals in creative fields like architecture, engineering, design, arts, education and entertainment) in the workforce. 
3. Mobile and Internet Revolutions have contributed to accelerating the shift to networked work and organizations
4. The internet allows people to communicate and share information at a distance. Some workplaces have the capacity to exist anywhere. 
5. The rise of mobile devices allow work away from 'the desk' 

The Use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)

In the late 1980s, a few innovative organizations began using personal computers and devices. The use of ICTs allows opportunities for networked workers to work from multiple locations, even their homes, in hierarchical organizations. Companies began investing in ICTs and the use of internet at work increased. One statistic that stood out to me was that "those who have internet access at work are spending an equivalent of an entire workday per week using the internet" (p. 177). The use of ICTs is shown to make workers more productive, flexible, collaborative and connected, yet, these same workers are also working longer hours and are shown to be more distracted and stressed. ICTs also help facilitate friendships at work and help productive communication within and also between organizations.  

The Transition from Fishbowl Offices to Switchboard Offices:

Fishbowl offices are offices with clearly defined and ordered groups, where most communications are with the group and visible to everyone. In contrast, switchboard offices are networked organizations, where each worker plugs into a direct connection to their colleagues; these spaces are team-based and have flexible boundaries.  Networked organizations encourage flexible arrangements and push autonomy and authority onto their networked workers. Similar to 'produsage' and 'produsers,' reduced sense of ownership is as a grey area as pieces of work are divided and created by multiple individuals. In networked organizations, where workers are often physically dispersed and collaboration occurs between individuals who do not know each other, cultural gaps and communication become an obstacle. 

If you are going to look at anything from this chapter, page 179 has a great table (table 7.2) that compares traditional workgroups and networked individuals that are more common in today's workplace. 

Blurring the Home-Work Boundary

With the ability to enable work from anywhere, ICTs at home have allowed workers to stay connected beyond regular work hours. Answering calls, checking work emails and doing a few tasks on weekends and vacations has become a reality for some. These workers, referred to as teleworkers, perform their work from multiple locations, which as you may know from experience, has its advantages and disadvantages. Teleworkers have the flexibility to work from home, during travel or take their work to the beach or a cafe. However, working from home brings its distractions, housework that needs to be done, children at home that need to be entertained. 

There is a blurring of the home-work boundary. I experienced this when teachers and students had to do emergency virtual teaching, where we were not even allowed back into our classrooms to grab our teaching supplies until a month into online teaching. I worked from home for the first time and while I loved the benefits of working from home (casual dress code, relaxed environment, much less interruptions, walking breaks), I also experienced the blurring (being glued to my computer outside of 'working hours,' struggling to stay motivated and feeling isolated without the connection of my supervisor and colleagues).  

Net and Jet 

While ICTs allow organizations to connect across large geographic locations, travel and trust is still used among many, as entrepreneurs feel the need to travel to other global locations to do business. In person contact remains an important aspect of work dealings and relationships as face to face meetings fill in the gaps of information sharing online. 

Organizations have seen a shift from the 'organization men' to 'networked individuals' and with that shift, an emergence of ICTs that enable workers in many ways, expanding the reach of communication and connection and offering workspaces that are flexible and dynamic.