Dealing with mobility

TLDR

The rapid adoption of mobile technologies enables people and organizations to work remotely, providing anytime, anywhere access to information and colleagues. This study examines how mobile workers access remote people and information, and explores how technology and artifacts can support them. The study identifies four key factors for mobile work: planning, utilizing dead time, accessing remote resources, and monitoring remote colleagues.

Abstract

The rapid and accelerating move towards use of mobile technologies has increasingly provided people and organizations with the ability to work away from the office and on the move. The new ways of working afforded by these technologies are often characterized in terms of access to information and people anytime, anywhere. This article presents a study of mobile workers that highlights different facets of access to remote people and information, and different facets of anytime, anywhere . Four key factors in mobile work are identified: the role of planning, working in "dead time," accessing remote technological and informational resources, and monitoring the activities of remote colleagues. By reflecting on these issues, we can better understand the role of technology and artifacts in mobile work and identify the opportunities for the development of appropriate technological solutions to support mobile workers.