Freedom and Flexibility with a Ball and Chain: Managers and their Use of Mobile Phones

Townsend, Keith; Batchelor, Lyn

Abstract

Mobile phones can be categorized as personal technologies and, as with other devices of this genre, increased use leads to increased reliance upon the technology (Sørensen and Pica 2003). In addition, mobile phones create opportunities, or at least the illusion of being able to create opportunities to ‘make time’ through providing temporal freedoms for the user. For example, if a someone is driving, they can return work-related calls, therefore making formerly ‘nonproductive’ time ‘productive’ time. However, the ‘rules’ of mobile phone use in the workplace represent a relatively new issue for managers throughout the world. In addition, research on the use of mobile phones in the workplace is sparse. This chapter contributes to the small but growing literature in the area.

• Online Publication Date: Jul 14, 2008
• Publication Date: 2008
• Deposit Date: Oct 22, 2019
• Publisher: Routledge
• Edition: 1st
• Book Title: Mobility and Technology in the Workplace
• Chapter Number: 13
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203894354
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2246923