Here is an interesting essay by one of our blog members, Laura Forlano (published on Urban Omnibus) and how work and work practices have evolved and its implications for space, and for the design of cities.
http://urbanomnibus.net/2009/06/work-and-the-open-source-city/
Two points that I’d like to highlight in Laura’s article:
1.Laura highlights the tension between “the ways in which these emergent forms of organizing are deeply embedded in physical places and, at the same time, enabled by new technologies such as laptops and wireless networks.” This leads me to the more general discussion that is taking place in organizational studies on the role of materiality (boundary objects, space, etc.). It also highlights the point discussed at length on this blog on the merging, intertwining between physical and virtual space. Last, it is important to note that these new forms of organizing, sometimes described as virtual forms of organizing are not immaterial – just think of the laptops and the wireless networks!
2. I found the anecdote on Laura’s experience in Japan really interesting. First of all, it reminded me of some of Pico Iyer’s descriptions of his life in Japan. Second, and more importantly, it leads to the question of the “nature” of technology. Even if we agree on the socially constructed nature of technology, we often still assume its cultural neutrality. Here as my work on videoconference also led me to discover (but unfortunately not investigage further) technology can be seen as a cultural lens – as it has been shown to be a social lens. This of course raises issues for researchers… all this work on informal interactions and innovation and creativity, and the role of space, does it make sense in all societies? in all cultures? what does it mean for global organizations?
thanks Laura for this great essay which raises so many important questions,
al
