Abstract
Human service organizations are often challenged to become more efficient while maintaining the quality of their services. As a result, more organizations have restructured, adopting the practice of dispersed work, which allows employees more freedom and flexibility to meet organizational goals outside of the traditional workplace. While dispersed work allows social workers to engage in work activities beyond the traditional office environment, it may also impact their sense of belonging to the organization. Eleven dispersed social workers were interviewed to understand how interaction via new communication technology impacts organizational identification. Overall themes gleaned from this study suggest that although dispersed social workers perceive themselves as having more autonomy and flexibility, they also can feel socially isolated and disconnected from their peers and supervisors, which may negatively impact organizational identification. Despite the enhanced efficiency that technology can bring, human service organizations must strive to understand the unintended consequences of a dispersed workforce.
Highlights
Human service organizations are often challenged to become more efficient while maintaining the quality of their services
Dispersed work allows for social workers to engage in social work activities but meet organizational objectives outside of the traditional office environment through the use of new communication technology (Allen & Vakalahi, 2013; Pearce, Yoo, & Alavi, 2004)
This study employed a qualitative methodology that supported both the constructivist and interpretative paradigms regarding the experiences of organizational identification via the use of new communication technology for dispersed social workers
Summary
Human service organizations are often challenged to become more efficient while maintaining the quality of their services. More organizations have restructured, adopting the practice of dispersed work, which allows employees more freedom and flexibility to meet organizational goals outside of the traditional workplace. While dispersed work allows social workers to engage in work activities beyond the traditional office environment, it may impact their sense of belonging to the organization. Eleven dispersed social workers were interviewed to understand how interaction via new communication technology impacts organizational identification. In an effort to maintain a competitive edge, many human service organizations have adopted the concept of dispersed work, changing traditional coworker dynamics. Dispersed work allows for social workers to engage in social work activities but meet organizational objectives outside of the traditional office environment through the use of new communication technology (Allen & Vakalahi, 2013; Pearce, Yoo, & Alavi, 2004). Allen et al./ORGANIZAIONTAL IDENTIFICATION workers’ experiences with interaction via new communication technology and its impact on organizational identification
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