Promotion: Katja Schönian

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Katja Schönian: Just ‘a machine for doing business’? Sociomaterial configurations of the intranet in a post-merger telecommunications company.

How is a new intranet involved in an ongoing merger integration process? The dissertation analyses internal communication and branding strategies in connection with the implementation of a new company intranet. Based on qualitative data, it contrasts managerial expectations and everyday usage of the intranet in distinct work settings. Relying on social practice theories and research in Science & Technology Studies, Katja Schönian unpacks the different logics the intranet brings together and, furthermore, interrogates the characteristics that make an (un-)workable technology. In this manner, the dissertation sheds light on the informal practices and politics surrounding the technology implementation process and provides insights into post-industrial corporate culture management that is increasingly applied to employees in contemporary knowledge work. The dissertation will be published by Transcript in Summer 2022.