Revisiting Technology and Flow: A Call for an Alternative Perspective and Directions for the Future

Abstract

Employee engagement is critical to individual well-being and organizational performance. The concept of flow has been explored as a marker for such engagement. Yet, an understanding of the role technology plays in employees experiencing flow is not well understood. In this paper, we theorize an alternative viewpoint of flow and technology, which we coin “technoflow.” We do so by critically examining the assumptions within existing IS/flow literature, and propose a research agenda that adopts a relational ontology so that IS researchers can identify several sociomaterial conditions and practices related to how employees experience flow. We explain how researchers can draw on technoflow through four central themes: (1) control; (2) attention; (3) curiosity; and (4) intrinsic interest. We provide guidance about how to incorporate technoflow into two contemporary IS theories: media synchronicity theory and technostress. This intervention offers promising theoretical development and knowledge applications for IS researchers and practitioners alike.