Network : theorizing knowledge work in telecommunications

How does a telecommunications company function when its right hand often doesn't know what its left hand is doing? How do rapidly expanding, interdisciplinary organizations hold together and perform their knowledge work? In this book, Clay Spinuzzi draws on two warring theories of work activity - activity theory and actor-network theory - to examine the networks of activity that make a telecommunications company work and thrive. In doing so, Spinuzzi calls a truce between the two theories, bringing them to the negotiating table to parley about work. Specifically, about net work: the coordinative work that connects, coordinates, and stabilizes polycontextual work activities. To develop this uneasy dialogue, Spinuzzi examines the texts, trades, and technologies at play at Telecorp, both historically and empirically. Drawing on both theories, Spinuzzi provides new insights into how net work actually works and how our theories and research methods can be extended to better understand it.

Acknowledgments	p. ix
1 Networks, Genres, and Four Little Disruptions	p. 1
Networks	p. 4
Disruption 1 Anita Thinks Geraldine Is Slacking	p. 8
Disruption 2 Darrel Thinks Gil Is Being Unreasonable	p. 12
Net Working	p. 16
Genres	p. 17
Disruption 3 Abraham Threatens to Fire Workers	p. 18
Disruption 4 Jeannie Talks Past Local Provisioners	p. 23
The Book's Trajectory	p. 28
2 What Is a Network?	p. 31
One Dog's Death	p. 32
Two Ways to Build a Network	p. 33
Three Aspects of Telecorp's Network	p. 36
Telecorp's Technological Network	p. 36
Telecorp's (Spliced) Actor-Network	p. 39
Telecorp's (Woven) Activity Network	p. 42
Four Characteristics of Networks	p. 46
Heterogeneous	p. 46
Multiply Linked	p. 47
Transformative	p. 48
Black-Boxed	p. 49
Five Events	p. 51
Solution 1 The Cordon Sanitaire	p. 54
Solution 2 The Uniform Regimen	p. 54
Garrisoning the Passes and Interrogating the Locals	p. 58
Conclusion: What Is a Network?	p. 60
3 How Are Networks Theorized?	p. 62
The First Stroke	p. 64
Weaving a Network: Activity Theory's Account	p. 67
An Engelsian View: The Science of Interconnections	p. 68
Mediation	p. 69
Structure of Activity	p. 70
Contradictions	p. 72
Activity Networks	p. 74
Summing Up	p. 80
Splicing a Network: Actor-Network Theory's Account	p. 81
A Machiavellian View; Or, Sympathy for the Devil	p. 81
Actor-Networks	p. 84
Mediation	p. 86
Translation	p. 88
Composition	p. 90
Reversible Black-Boxing	p. 90
Delegation	p. 92
Summing Up	p. 92
Genuine Differences	p. 93
Common Ground	p. 94
4 How Are Networks Historicized?	p. 96
The Case of Universal Service	p. 96
Articulation 1 Universal Service as the Principle of Interconnection	p. 98
Articulation 2 Universal Service as Total Market Penetration	p. 103
Articulation 3 Universal Service as Universally Obtainable Slates of Services	p. 107
Local Articulations: Universal Service in Texas	p. 110
Even More Local Articulations: Universal Service at Telecorp	p. 116
Weaving Universal Service: An Activity Theory Analysis	p. 118
Contradiction 1 Exclusivity or Interconnection?	p. 118
Contradiction 2 Business or Public Utility?	p. 119
Contradiction 3 Competition or Public Good?	p. 122
Summary: What Do We Learn from a History of Contradictions?	p. 122
Splicing Universal Service: An Actor-Network Theory Analysis	p. 123
Translation 1 From Disunity to Unity	p. 124
Translation 2 From Unity to Universality	p. 127
Translation 3 From Universality to the Rising Tide	p. 129
Summary: What Do We Learn from a History of Translations?	p. 130
Weaving and Splicing Telecorp	p. 131
Conclusion	p. 134
5 How Are Networks Enacted?	p. 135
Modular Work	p. 136
Net Work	p. 137
Net Work and Informational Capitalism	p. 138
Net Work and the Information Age	p. 140
Net Work and the Informatics of Domination	p. 141
Three Senses of Texts	p. 144
Inscriptions	p. 145
Genres	p. 146
Boundary Objects	p. 147
Four Cases of Net Work	p. 149
Case 1 Following an Order	p. 149
There Was No "Order"	p. 151
There Was No Transportation without Transformation	p. 152
There Was a Surplus of Information for Supporting Workers' Discretion	p. 153
There Was No Single Genre	p. 153
Summary: Following an Order	p. 155
Case 2 Following the Money	p. 156
Following the Money in Cash Posting	p. 156
Following the Money in Credit and Collections	p. 158
Summary: Following the Money	p. 163
Case 3 Following the Substitutions	p. 163
Summary: Following the Substitutions	p. 167
Case 4 Following the Workers	p. 168
Summary: Following the Workers	p. 171
Conclusion	p. 171
6 Is Our Network Learning?	p. 173
Learning Net Work: The Problem of Discontinuity	p. 174
How Learning Was Handled at Telecorp: Some Techniques	p. 177
Apprenticeship: "You Never Ever Do a Partial Connection"	p. 177
Formal Telecorp Training Sessions: "Nine Times out of Ten..."	p. 180
Corporate Training Outside Telecorp: "Nobody Had Time to Learn from Her"	p. 182
Documentation: "I Need to Do It from This Day Forward"	p. 182
Computer-Based Training: "Basically It's Just a Crash Course"	p. 184
Trial-and-Error: "Willing to Get Your Hands Dirty"	p. 184
Stories: "There Was Nothing About a Dog on the Ticket"	p. 185
Summary: Making Sense of Learning Measures at Telecorp	p. 185
Theorizing Learning for Net Work: Activity Theory's Contribution	p. 186
Problems with Activity Theory's Developmental Account	p. 190
Theorizing Training for Net Work: Actor-Network Theory's Contribution	p. 190
Net Work, Net Learning	p. 192
Heterogeneous	p. 192
Multiply Linked	p. 193
Black-Boxed	p. 193
Transformative	p. 195
Conclusion	p. 195
7 Conclusion: How Does Net Work Work?	p. 197
What Do We Know About Net Work?	p. 198
Heterogeneous	p. 198
Multiply Linked	p. 198
Transformative	p. 199
Black-Boxed	p. 199
What Do We Do About Net Work?	p. 200
Implications for Workers	p. 200
Implications for Managers	p. 202
Implications for Researchers	p. 204
How Do We Develop Activity Theory for Net Work?	p. 205
How Do We Cope with Net Work?	p. 207
Appendix Notes on Methodology	p. 209
Data Collection	p. 209
Data Analysis	p. 210
Works Cited	p. 213
Index	p. 227

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