Executives and Smartphones: Friend or Foe?

This article seeks to identify the existence of ambiguities in the day-to-day use of smartphones by Brazilian executives. In this manner, fourteen technological paradoxes were identified from the theoretical reference base adopted. The single representative case study method was then applied, by analysing a Brazilian company in the pharmaceutical sector, which has a policy of providing smartphones to its senior executives. After consolidation and analysis of the data collected, it was seen that of the fourteen paradoxes obtained, two generated strong ambiguity regarding the use of smartphones by the executives in question, namely: continuity vs. asynchronicity and autonomy vs. addiction. Furthermore, three other paradoxes were moderately associated with the use of smartphones by the executives in question, namely freedom vs. enslavement, dependence vs. independence, and planning vs. improvisation. Lastly, the implications and limitations of the research are presented, as well as recommendations for future work associated with this theme.

[1]  Allen S. Lee.  A Scientific Methodology for MIS Case Studies , 1989, MIS Q..

[2]  Allen M. Weiss,et al.  Marketing in Technology-Intensive Markets: Toward a Conceptual Framework , 1999 .

[3]  Marianne W. Lewis.  Exploring Paradox: Toward a More Comprehensive Guide , 2000 .

[4]  Larry L. Peterson,et al.  The dark side of the Web , 2004, Comput. Commun. Rev..

[5]  Sirkka L. Jarvenpaa,et al.  Managing the Paradoxes of Mobile Technology , 2005, Inf. Syst. Manag..

[6]  B. Sergi,et al.  The significance and paradox of globalisation in the 21st century: the role of three major global institutions in selected areas , 2007 .

[7]  G. Paré.  Investigating Information Systems with Positivist Case Study Research , 2004 .

[8]  Allen S. Lee.  Integrating Positivist and Interpretive Approaches to Organizational Research , 1991 .

[9]  Guy Paré,et al.  Investigating Information Systems with Positivist Case Research , 2004, Commun. Assoc. Inf. Syst..

[10]  E. Ketting,et al.  The paradox of progress. , 1994, Planned parenthood challenges.

[11]  Robert K. Yin,et al.  Estudo de caso: planejamento e métodos , 2005 .

[12]  R. Mckenzie.  The paradox of progress , 1997 .

[13]  S. Fournier,et al.  Paradoxes of Technology: Consumer Cognizance, Emotions, and Coping Strategies , 1998 .

[14]  Sudhir Gupta,et al.  Case Studies , 2013, Journal of Clinical Immunology.

[15]  L. Gruenfeld,et al.  Paradoxes of group life , 1987 .

[16]  Daniel J. Boorstin.  Republic of Technology: Reflections on Our Future Community , 1978 .

[17]  Izak Benbasat,et al.  The Case Research Strategy in Studies of Information Systems , 1987, MIS Q..

[18]  T. Tyler.  Is the Internet Changing Social Life? It Seems the More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same , 2002 .