DETECCIÓN DE BORDES

Mobility research has long acknowledged that as people travel, three dimensions of mobility become prominent: spatial, temporal and contextual mobility (Kakihara and Sorensen 2001). Spatial mobility, while primarily concerned with the physical movement of people also involves mobility of objects, symbols and space. Temporal mobility occurs when people organize and manage their work activities with fewer time constraints, thereby increasing the flexibility of the work environment through the use of stationary and mobile applications (Kakihara and Sorensen 2001). When implemented successfully, the introduction of technology within organizations can accelerate the speed of work and save time, hence influencing the temporality of work activities. Contextual mobility occurs when a mobile worker experiences a range of different contexts such as clients’ offices, hotel rooms, airports and vehicles, both in transit and at their final destination (Perry, O'Hara et al. 2001). The agent may play different roles in each context, such as mother in one and CEO in the next. Thus, the temporal theory of human agency and the practice of nomadic computing have the temporal dimension in common. More significantly, the temporal theory of human agency can be practically extended to explain

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different forms of action embedded in time across different contexts within the nomadic environment by combining it with the spatial and contextual dimensions of mobility.

The temporal theory of human agency is particularly suited to a study of nomadic computing environments. In response to emergent events, actors continually reinterpret their orientation and action towards the past, the present and the future. In a similar vein, the central idea of nomadic computing is the notion of providing access, anyplace while being temporally situated in the flow of time. Nomads situated within a specific space and context must exercise agency and appropriate their devices to respond to emergent events. This may result in the repetition of past routines, or innovative and different approaches to both old and new problems. Consistent with the execution element of the practical evaluative agentic element, the nomadic user must respond at the “right” times with reference to the “right” objects toward the “right” people with the “right” aim and in the “right” way. For these reasons, the temporal theory of agency fits the study of use within the nomadic computing environment.

The research framework is graphically represented in figure 2 and summarized in table 4.

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Figure 2 – Nomadic Computing Environment Framework.

CONTEXT

SPACE

TIME

Office

Road

Home

Personal

Business

Past

Present

_Future

A

C

T

I

O

N

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The research framework combines the temporal dimensions from the temporal theory of human agency with the contextual and spatial dimensions which characterize mobility, and explains their combined influence on an instance of human action.

The temporal dimension explains how action is informed in the present. Past patterns of action or schema are reflected upon in the iterational element, while possible forms of action in the future are contemplated in the projective element. At any instance, all three of the agentic dimensions may be present in varying degrees. While some agentic elements dominate, others may recede to the background. The decision to act and the actual execution of the act itself take place in the practical evaluative element.

The spatial dimension recognizes that the nomadic user may be either at home, at the office or on the road at the time this agentic process takes place, and that consequent action is informed by location.

The contextual dimension recognizes that a nomadic user fulfills various roles in business and personal life simultaneously, such as CEO, mother, wife or club president. At a specific point in time, a dominant role may be in force but the nomadic user may be called upon to play alternate roles based on an emerging event. The agentic process is therefore informed by roles in force and how conflicting interests are resolved.

In summary, the temporal, spatial and contextual dimensions combined may explain the decision to act or not based on past patterns of use, future goals, and possibilities and present time, location and social roles in force.

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Table 4 - Research Framework

DESCRIPTION RELATED ACTIONS

TEMPORAL DIMENSION

Iterational • Past social experience is schematized.

• Schema of past social relationships give continuity and stability to action and reassures actors that actions in the past can successfully be repeated and other social actors can be trusted to act in predictable ways.

• The actor has the ability to recall, to select and to appropriately apply these tacit or taken for granted schemas or patterns of action that they have developed through past interaction.

• Actors maneuver among repertoires. Selection from practical repertoires of habitual activity may involve levels of ingenuity and resourcefulness. • Social actors use past social experience to predict what will happen in the future. Practical

Evaluative

• Focus on the present. Actors make practical and normative judgments among alternative possible

trajectories of action, in response to the emerging demands, dilemmas and ambiguities of presently evolving situations.

• Routine and newly imagined projects are adjusted to the present.

• A decision to act and execution of the act takes place.

Projective • Focus on the future • Future plans and possible courses of action are

schematized.

• Construction of changing images of where actors think they are going, where they want to go and how they can get there from where they are at the present.

• Actors draw upon past experience in order to clarify motives, goals and intentions.

• Possible constraints within the future are located and appropriate courses of action identified.

SPATIAL DIMENSION

• Focus on present location of actor when agentic process takes place.

• Actors may be at home, at their office location or on the road.

• Physical location may constrain or enable courses of action.

CONTEXTUAL DIMENSION

• Focus on social role in force and interplay with other roles when agentic process takes place.

• Actors may play different roles in their business and personal life.

• Interplay between different social roles may place constraints upon or enable courses of action.

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