Brokering workarounds in globally distributed work

Abstract

Unlike emergent brokers, formal brokers are appointed to mediate information exchanges in a highly structured setting. While the use of formal brokers has increased, particularly in globally distributed work, the extant literature has so far paid little attention to the information brokering challenges they face. Our case analysis revealed that, despite the structured setting, information users often bypass brokers and exchange information directly, also known as a workaround, thus disrupting the brokering process. In this scenario, the broker is displaced and is not able to broker. Our findings suggest that formal brokers do not necessarily reassume their brokering role once workarounds are detected. Instead, they first assess the conditions that led to the workarounds and the impact (positive or negative) on the information exchange network. Should the impact be negative, formal brokers regain their brokering role by deploying protective actions. However, a positive impact on the information exchange network allow brokers to maintain a nonbrokering position, thus passively allowing connecting actions to resume. We describe three practices that formal brokers pursue when workarounds are present and conclude by outlining the contributions to research and practice.