Rise and Fall of an Information Technology Outsourcing Program: a qualitative Analysis of a Troubled Corporate Initiative
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Rise and Fall of an Information Technology Outsourcing Program A
The Icarus Habitus
At the time of this research, the Icarus culture was collaborative and replete with reinforcing discourse and rituals. Employees often used active phrases such as partnering, getting feedback, and socializing to describe workplace activities. The culture placed the burden on innovators to refine their ideas by socializing them, typically to culminate in a PowerPoint presentation (referred to as a “deck” by employees). This infocentric approach (Brown & Duguid, 2000) tended to focus disproportionately on communicating information and content, versus understanding the social context, value, and potential impacts of a new idea or project. The intention was to incorporate feedback into iterative “decks,” and ultimately get decisions formally approved by a group of stakeholders who had often been given the chance to individually view the material in advance. If an idea struggled to stick or gain momentum, individuals received feedback on the opportunities their idea had and would be asked to refine and repeat the “socializing” process in order to gain the needed approvals. One might also receive feedback on one’s individual opportunities or about competencies they needed to improve upon if they wanted to be successful at Icarus. Other examples of feedback might stress opportunities to be more strategic, to communicate effectively, or to collaborate. On occasions when an individual unexpectedly left the organization, there was often speculation over which “opportunities” the former employee had been unable to overcome that led to their departure. Status meetings and partners. Getting feedback and socializing ideas happened in group settings or in one-on-one meetings. One’s boss, peers, subordinates, stakeholders, or mentors were generically referred to as a “partners.” Generally thirty minutes long, these one-on- 65 one meetings with “partners” were commonly referred to as “statuses.” Vendors too were commonly referred to as “partners” more so than “vendors” or “contractors.” At Icarus, one would partner with others as a form of collaboration to get things done, often in the form of a status. A status was also be used in its verb form, i.e., “Did you status with your boss last week?” Individuals met for a status in the office or in restaurants or cafes near Icarus facilities. The latter was knows as a coffee status. In any given week, it was not unreasonable to have five to ten (or more) statuses to give or receive feedback on ideas, strategies, or programs that were in various levels of progress or maturity. Brand. Icarus had been known for, and prided itself on, its image or “brand.” This focus on brand also translated to employees and their work output, which could be referred to as being “on brand” if they were successful. Being on brand could be a statement about one’s style of dress—Icarus required formal business attire, and casual Fridays, at all headquarters locations. It was also considered to include the relative crispness of one’s deck. Using a color palate relative to Icarus marketing material, and Arial, Calibri, or Helvetica fonts, which also thematically aligned with the company’s marketing material, were additional ways one would “brand” one’s decks. Collaborating, statusing, partnering, socializing, being on brand, and being crisp in one’s communication style were commonly recognized elements of the Icarus habitus. These were the generally accepted tools for moving ideas forward in the organization. Mastery of these tools was also a form of cultural capital. Two individuals could have the same or similar ideas, but the one who could package and present material in the most “brand” way would be viewed as more credible, and thus more powerful in the organization. |
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