期刊名称：Pacific Asia Journal of the Association for Information Systems
印刷版ISSN：1943-7544
出版年度：2020
卷号：12
期号：3
页码：82-103
DOI：10.17705/1pais.12208
语种：English
出版社：Association for Information Systems
摘要：Background: The usage of mobile instant messaging (MIM) applications such asWhatsApp and Telegram in an organization has become increasingly popular.Unfortunately, studies on the phenomenon, especially its impact on organizations,such as power distribution, have been scarce. Thus, this study asks, how doesMIM technology affect power distribution in an organization? The objectives aretwofold. The first is to determine how the MIM technology altered the distributionof power in an organization. The second is to identify why a collaborative toolintended for social use can have a profound impact on power relations in anorganization.Method: This case study involved interviews with twenty-one participants throughsix group interview sessions. The management selected the participants based onthe study requirements. The interview participants were selected from differentlevels of the organization’s hierarchy that use MIM actively in managing work.Results: The findings suggest that increased use of MIM for many activities, suchas delivering instructions and monitoring work progress, has had a profound effecton power distribution. The findings suggest that the implementation of MIM inmanaging work reinforces the status quo of top management through thecongregation of employees, forced commitment, and the illusion of consensus.Conclusions: MIM can reinforce the power of the top management over the restby extending its reach to all levels in the organization. Findings from this study addto the existing knowledge on the relationship between power and informationsystems (IS) and power relations and MIM.
关键词：Mobile Instant Messaging;WhatsApp;Power Relations;ManagingWork;Status Quo
