Just ›A Machine for Doing Business‹? : Sociomaterial Configurations of the Intranet in a Post-merger Telecommunications Company

An analysis of the informal practices and strategies surrounding the technology implementation process.

How is a new intranet involved in an ongoing merger integration process? Katja Schönian analyses internal communication and branding strategies in connection with the implementation of a new company intranet. Based on qualitative data, the study contrasts managerial expectations and everyday usage of the intranet in distinct work settings. Relying on social practice theories and research in Science & Technology Studies, Katja Schönian unpacks the different logics the intranet brings together and, furthermore, interrogates the characteristics that make an (un)workable technology. The book sheds light on the informal practices and politics surrounding the technology implementation process. It provides readers with new insights into the dynamics of a merger integration process, the production of worker subjectivity, and the increasing involvement of technologies in contemporary knowledge work.