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    Rights statement: The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Organization Studies, 41 (6), 2019, © SAGE Publications Ltd, 2019 by SAGE Publications Ltd at the Organization Studies page: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/OSS/ on SAGE Journals Online: http://journals.sagepub.com/

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Disabled people and digitalization: Disruptive documents in distributing digital devices

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Disabled people and digitalization: Disruptive documents in distributing digital devices. / Knights, David; Latham, Yvonne.
In: Organization Studies, Vol. 41, No. 6, 01.06.2020, p. 855-872.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

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Knights D, Latham Y. Disabled people and digitalization: Disruptive documents in distributing digital devices. Organization Studies. 2020 Jun 1;41(6):855-872. Epub 2019 Sept 12. doi: 10.1177/0170840619869744

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Bibtex

@article{91ac01c7afd348a2abb2ec36b0b2049c,
title = "Disabled people and digitalization: Disruptive documents in distributing digital devices",
abstract = "This article examines the selection process in a pilot project aimed at distributing computers to disabled people to allow for digitalization. Particular attention is paid to the complexities generated by an allocation assessment form, designed to help these people improve their social interactions through electronic media. There is a paucity of discussions on forms in the organization studies literature but, when studied, an over-reliance on semantics such that their enactment in embodied sociomaterial performances is easily glossed over. Our problematic revolves around how forms and their surrounding sociomaterial performances constitute, but are also transformed by, subjects, objects and organizational relations. The contribution of this article is, therefore, to address the embodied enactments and sociomaterial practices that are embedded within these allocation processes. So, for example, assessors in the project deviated from a strict interpretation of the questions on the form and sometimes ignored clients{\textquoteright} responses so as to prevent formal allocations of computers from being seen as illegitimate, and potentially disruptive to the organization{\textquoteright}s objectives of distributing digital devices. This enabled us to focus on the sociomaterial and embodied relations that are enacted within the selection process and how these place limits on, but also possibilities for, those allocating and those seeking to be allocated computers. The case study shows how distributing computers to disabled people is a complex sociomaterial process that is conditioned by the embodied performances and textual devices deployed. At the same time, the process was informed by humanistic and normalizing assumptions about sociability that are inscribed on the assessment form as criteria for allocating the computers. One implication, we found, was a tendency to reinforce the marginalization of disabled people.",
keywords = "disabled people, documents/forms, embodiment, selection interviews, sociomateriality",
author = "David Knights and Yvonne Latham",
note = "The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Organization Studies, ? (?), 2019, {\textcopyright} SAGE Publications Ltd, 2019 by SAGE Publications Ltd at the Organization Studies page: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/OSS/ on SAGE Journals Online: http://journals.sagepub.com/ ",
year = "2020",
month = jun,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1177/0170840619869744",
language = "English",
volume = "41",
pages = "855--872",
journal = "Organization Studies",
issn = "0170-8406",
publisher = "SAGE Publications Ltd",
number = "6",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Disabled people and digitalization

T2 - Disruptive documents in distributing digital devices

AU - Knights, David

AU - Latham, Yvonne

N1 - The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Organization Studies, ? (?), 2019, © SAGE Publications Ltd, 2019 by SAGE Publications Ltd at the Organization Studies page: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/OSS/ on SAGE Journals Online: http://journals.sagepub.com/

PY - 2020/6/1

Y1 - 2020/6/1

N2 - This article examines the selection process in a pilot project aimed at distributing computers to disabled people to allow for digitalization. Particular attention is paid to the complexities generated by an allocation assessment form, designed to help these people improve their social interactions through electronic media. There is a paucity of discussions on forms in the organization studies literature but, when studied, an over-reliance on semantics such that their enactment in embodied sociomaterial performances is easily glossed over. Our problematic revolves around how forms and their surrounding sociomaterial performances constitute, but are also transformed by, subjects, objects and organizational relations. The contribution of this article is, therefore, to address the embodied enactments and sociomaterial practices that are embedded within these allocation processes. So, for example, assessors in the project deviated from a strict interpretation of the questions on the form and sometimes ignored clients’ responses so as to prevent formal allocations of computers from being seen as illegitimate, and potentially disruptive to the organization’s objectives of distributing digital devices. This enabled us to focus on the sociomaterial and embodied relations that are enacted within the selection process and how these place limits on, but also possibilities for, those allocating and those seeking to be allocated computers. The case study shows how distributing computers to disabled people is a complex sociomaterial process that is conditioned by the embodied performances and textual devices deployed. At the same time, the process was informed by humanistic and normalizing assumptions about sociability that are inscribed on the assessment form as criteria for allocating the computers. One implication, we found, was a tendency to reinforce the marginalization of disabled people.

AB - This article examines the selection process in a pilot project aimed at distributing computers to disabled people to allow for digitalization. Particular attention is paid to the complexities generated by an allocation assessment form, designed to help these people improve their social interactions through electronic media. There is a paucity of discussions on forms in the organization studies literature but, when studied, an over-reliance on semantics such that their enactment in embodied sociomaterial performances is easily glossed over. Our problematic revolves around how forms and their surrounding sociomaterial performances constitute, but are also transformed by, subjects, objects and organizational relations. The contribution of this article is, therefore, to address the embodied enactments and sociomaterial practices that are embedded within these allocation processes. So, for example, assessors in the project deviated from a strict interpretation of the questions on the form and sometimes ignored clients’ responses so as to prevent formal allocations of computers from being seen as illegitimate, and potentially disruptive to the organization’s objectives of distributing digital devices. This enabled us to focus on the sociomaterial and embodied relations that are enacted within the selection process and how these place limits on, but also possibilities for, those allocating and those seeking to be allocated computers. The case study shows how distributing computers to disabled people is a complex sociomaterial process that is conditioned by the embodied performances and textual devices deployed. At the same time, the process was informed by humanistic and normalizing assumptions about sociability that are inscribed on the assessment form as criteria for allocating the computers. One implication, we found, was a tendency to reinforce the marginalization of disabled people.

KW - disabled people

KW - documents/forms

KW - embodiment

KW - selection interviews

KW - sociomateriality

U2 - 10.1177/0170840619869744

DO - 10.1177/0170840619869744

M3 - Journal article

VL - 41

SP - 855

EP - 872

JO - Organization Studies

JF - Organization Studies

SN - 0170-8406

IS - 6

ER -