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

Date

2020-01-07

Contributor

Advisor

Department

Instructor

Depositor

Speaker

Researcher

Consultant

Interviewer

Narrator

Transcriber

Annotator

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Volume

Number/Issue

Starting Page

Ending Page

Alternative Title

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.

Description

Keywords

Topics in Organizational Systems and Technology, flow, sociomateriality, technoflow

Citation

Extent

10 pages

Format

Geographic Location

Time Period

Related To

Proceedings of the 53rd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences

Related To (URI)

Table of Contents

Rights

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

Rights Holder

Local Contexts

Email libraryada-l@lists.hawaii.edu if you need this content in ADA-compliant format.