Sorry for cross postings.

I thought this might be of interest to some of you and would probably
correct the US-bias of the papers. <smile>

Dori


------ Forwarded Message
From: Tracy Meerwarth <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2007 20:44:32 -0000
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: [anthrodesign] Call for Papers on the Culture of Remote/Mobile Work


Brigitte Jordan, Julia Gluesing and I, Tracy Meerwarth, are calling
for papers that speak to the culture of mobile work. The goal of
this effort is to produce a book or special journal issue on this
topic. This volume is designed to explore the sociality of
remote/mobile work rather than on specific technologies. Please read
the description below, and if you are interested and would like to be
considered as a contributor to this publication, please contact Tracy
Meerwarth via email at [log in to unmask] <mailto:tlm%40consbrgs.com> .
Abstract

The purpose of the publication is to explore the interface between
technology and culture from the standpoint of remote/mobile workers
as well as from the perspective of the researchers who study this
community. There appears to be a general focus in the literature on
the technical side of remote work rather than on exploring the social
aspects of this growing trend. This publication offers an
opportunity to inform people about an increasingly important area of
work culture, provide insights into how remote work is affecting the
lives of those who practice it, and investigate the broader social
connections (e.g., work colleagues, communities, spouses,
relationships) that surround this transformation. It also gives us an
opportunity to focus on the sociality of work technologies and
remote/mobile work processes rather than specific technologies
themselves. In this way we are able to describe and understand how
technology and culture mutually shape one another with the
consequential benefits and burdens to personal lives. Authors also
may offer solutions and suggestions of how to manage mobile work with
the social and cultural in mind.

Bios of Editors
Brigitte Jordan: Brigitte Jordan's work revolves around the changing
nature of work and leisure under the impact of the new communication
and information technologies and the consequent transformation of
ways of life, societal institutions, and global economies. Now
working as an independent consultant, Gitte previously held an
appointment as a Principal Scientist at Xerox PARC (now the Palo Alto
Research Center) and at the Institute for Research on Learning. She
specializes in research methodology and is the author of more than
100 scholarly, technical and professional publications. They include
most recently "Persuasive Encounters: Ethnography in the Corporation"
(Field Methods 18:4:359-381, 2006 with Brinda Dalal); "Assessment as
Practice" (Human Organization 63:3:346-358, 2004 with Peter
Putz); "Co-Constructing Non-Mutual Realities: Delay-Generated Trouble
in Distributed Interaction" (Journal of Computer Supported
Cooperative Work 10:1:113-138, 2001 (with Karen Ruhleder). Many of
her publications can be found at her website at www.lifescapes.org.
She can be reached at [log in to unmask] <mailto:jordan%40akamail.com> .

Tracy L. Meerwarth: Tracy Meerwarth is a cultural anthropologist who
has been employed by General Motors (GM) as a contract researcher
since 2001. She holds an M.A. in Anthropology from Northern Arizona
University in Flagstaff. Her professional interests are cognitive
anthropology, cultural modeling, and intersection of space and
culture. Tracy's recent research at GM includes understanding the
complex dynamics of partnerships (Briody, E.K., T.L. Meerwarth, and
R.T. Trotter II. "Learning From the Partnership Experience," In
Partnering for Performance Collaboration and Culture from the Inside
Out, E.K. Briody and R.T. Trotter, II eds., Rowman and Littlefield
Publishers, 2007 forthcoming) and informal rule making behavior
(Meerwarth, T.L., E.K. Briody, and D.M. Kulkarni. 2005. "Discovering
the Rules: Folk Knowledge for Improving GM Partnerships," Human
Organization, 64 (3):286-302.) With her colleagues, Tracy has helped
build a cognitive cultural model of ideal automotive plant culture to
increase relationship effectiveness and collaboration.

Julia Gluesing: Julia C. Gluesing is a business and organizational
anthropologist and Research Professor in Industrial and Manufacturing
Engineering at Wayne State University who specializes in global
teaming and global product development. She is currently principal
investigator of a National Science Foundation grant to study the
diffusion of innovation across the global enterprise by tapping into
an organization's information technology infrastructure. With more
than 25 years of industry experience, Julia also frequently serves as
a consultant, and trainer to help business teams develop strategies
and skills for working globally. She conducts research in global work
practices, and in cross-cultural and organizational communication for
companies such as Ford Motor Company, Nissan Motor Corporation,
Aegon, EDS Corporation, and Sun Microsystems. She has published
professionally, most recently as a contributing author in Virtual
Teams that Work: Creating Conditions for Virtual Team Effectiveness
(Jossey-Bass 2003), Handbook of Managing Global Complexity (Blackwell
2003), and Crossing Cultures: Lessons from Master Teachers (Routledge
2004).