network How does a telecommunications company function when its right hand often doesn’t know what its left hand is doing? How rapidly expanding, interdisciplinary organizations hold together and perform their knowledge work? In this book, Clay Spinuzzi draws on two warring theories of work activity – activity theory and actor–network theory – to examine the networks of activity that make a telecommunications company work and thrive In doing so, Spinuzzi calls a truce between the two theories, bringing them to the negotiating table to parley about work Specifically, about net work: the work that connects, coordinates, and stabilizes polycontextual work activities To develop this uneasy dialogue, Spinuzzi examines the texts, trades, and technologies at play at Telecorp, both historically and empirically Drawing on both theories, Spinuzzi provides new insights into how network actually works and how our theories and research methods can be extended to better understand it After receiving a BA in computer science and an MA in English at the University of North Texas, Clay Spinuzzi earned his PhD in rhetoric and professional communication at Iowa State University He served as assistant professor of technical communication and rhetoric at Texas Tech University for two years before accepting a position at the University of Texas (UT) at Austin From 2004 to 2008, he directed UT’s Computer Writing and Research Lab Spinuzzi’s work has appeared in the Journal of Business and Technical Communication, Technical Communication Quarterly, and Technical Communication His previous book, Tracing Genres through Organizations, was named the National Council of Teachers of English 2004 Best Book in Technical or Scientific Communication, one of four national awards the author has received Network theorizing knowledge work in telecommunications Clay Spinuzzi University of Texas at Austin CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521895040 © Clay Spinuzzi 2008 This publication is in copyright Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press First published in print format 2008 ISBN-13 978-0-511-43826-4 eBook (NetLibrary) ISBN-13 978-0-521-89504-0 hardback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of urls for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate contents Acknowledgments page ix Networks, Genres, and Four Little Disruptions Networks Disruption 1: Anita Thinks Geraldine Is Slacking Disruption 2: Darrel Thinks Gil Is Being Unreasonable Net Working Genres Disruption 3: Abraham Threatens to Fire Workers Disruption 4: Jeannie Talks Past Local Provisioners The Book’s Trajectory What Is a Network? 12 16 17 18 23 28 31 One Dog’s Death Two Ways to Build a Network Three Aspects of Telecorp’s Network Telecorp’s Technological Network Telecorp’s (Spliced) Actor–Network Telecorp’s (Woven) Activity Network Four Characteristics of Networks Heterogeneous Multiply Linked Transformative Black-Boxed Five Events Solution 1: The Cordon Sanitaire Solution 2: The Uniform Regimen v 32 33 36 36 39 42 46 46 47 48 49 51 54 54 vi Contents Garrisoning the Passes and Interrogating the Locals Conclusion: What Is a Network? How Are Networks Theorized? The First Stroke Weaving a Network: Activity Theory’s Account An Engelsian View: The Science of Interconnections Mediation Structure of Activity Contradictions Activity Networks Summing Up Splicing a Network: Actor–Network Theory’s Account A Machiavellian View; Or, Sympathy for the Devil Actor–Networks Mediation Translation Composition Reversible Black-Boxing Delegation Summing Up Genuine Differences Common Ground How Are Networks Historicized? The Case of Universal Service Articulation 1: Universal Service as the Principle of Interconnection Articulation 2: Universal Service as Total Market Penetration Articulation 3: Universal Service as Universally Obtainable Slates of Services Local Articulations: Universal Service in Texas Even More Local Articulations: Universal Service at Telecorp Weaving Universal Service: An Activity Theory Analysis Contradiction 1: Exclusivity or Interconnection? Contradiction 2: Business or Public Utility? Contradiction 3: Competition or Public Good? Summary: What Do We Learn from a History of Contradictions? Splicing Universal Service: An Actor–Network Theory Analysis 58 60 62 64 67 68 69 70 72 74 80 81 81 84 86 88 90 90 92 92 93 94 96 96 98 103 107 110 116 118 118 119 122 122 123 Contents Translation 1: From Disunity to Unity Translation 2: From Unity to Universality Translation 3: From Universality to the Rising Tide Summary: What Do We Learn from a History of Translations? Weaving and Splicing Telecorp Conclusion How Are Networks Enacted? Modular Work Net Work Net Work and Informational Capitalism Net Work and the Information Age Net Work and the Informatics of Domination Three Senses of Texts Inscriptions Genres Boundary Objects Four Cases of Net Work Case 1: Following an Order There Was No “Order” There Was No Transportation without Transformation There Was a Surplus of Information for Supporting Workers’ Discretion There Was No Single Genre Summary: Following an Order Case 2: Following the Money Following the Money in Cash Posting Following the Money in Credit and Collections Summary: Following the Money Case 3: Following the Substitutions Summary: Following the Substitutions Case 4: Following the Workers Summary: Following the Workers Conclusion Is Our Network Learning? Learning Net Work: The Problem of Discontinuity How Learning Was Handled at Telecorp: Some Techniques Apprenticeship: “You Never Ever Do a Partial Connection” vii 124 127 129 130 131 134 135 136 137 138 140 141 144 145 146 147 149 149 151 152 153 153 155 156 156 158 163 163 167 168 171 171 173 174 177 177 viii Contents Formal Telecorp Training Sessions: “Nine Times out of Ten ” Corporate Training Outside Telecorp: “Nobody Had Time to Learn from Her” Documentation: “I Need to Do It from This Day Forward” Computer-Based Training: “Basically It’s Just a Crash Course” Trial-and-Error: “Willing to Get Your Hands Dirty” Stories: “There Was Nothing About a Dog on the Ticket” Summary: Making Sense of Learning Measures at Telecorp Theorizing Learning for Net Work: Activity Theory’s Contribution Problems with Activity Theory’s Developmental Account Theorizing Training for Net Work: Actor–Network Theory’s Contribution Net Work, Net Learning Heterogeneous Multiply Linked Black-Boxed Transformative Conclusion Conclusion: How Does Net Work Work? What Do We Know About Net Work? Heterogeneous Multiply Linked Transformative Black-Boxed What Do We Do About Net Work? Implications for Workers Implications for Managers Implications for Researchers How Do We Develop Activity Theory for Net Work? How Do We Cope with Net Work? Appendix: Notes on Methodology Data Collection Data Analysis 180 182 182 184 184 185 185 186 190 190 192 192 193 193 195 195 197 198 198 198 199 199 200 200 202 204 205 207 209 209 210 Works Cited 213 Index 227 acknowledgments Finally it’s done I wrote this book in waiting rooms and lobbies, on buses and at bus stops, on airplanes, in coffee shops, and sometimes even in my office; I wrote it on sticky notes and notepads, on scrap paper, on printouts from rudimentary drafts, and in pieces on my blog I absorbed more literature from activity theory, actor–network theory, and knowledge work than I would have thought possible And after seven years, I’m very proud of the result – and very relieved to be done with it This book would have gone nowhere without the deep support offered by many, many people At the top of the list, the managers at Telecorp generously agreed to let me study the organization, and its workers let me observe and interview them I hope I have represented them well This research project was also supported by internal grants, both at Texas Tech University and the University of Texas at Austin Thanks especially to Bill Wolff, a research assistant supported by a TLC Curriculum Development Grant at the University of Texas Bill helped compile historical information on the Texas telecommunications market for Chapter Many of my colleagues generously gave their time to review the book manuscript and/or the articles that fed into it Bonnie Nardi, Mark Zachry, and Bill Hart-Davidson in particular gave great critical feedback Bonnie in particular had some rousing discussions – and disagreements – with me about actor–network theory That dialogue, like the one in the book itself, did not come to a dialectical resolution, but it did improve the book considerably I’m profoundly grateful to Cambridge University Press, which accepted the manuscript after two thorough and intelligent anonymous reviews Eric Schwartz, my editor at Cambridge, expertly shepherded the project through the process, aided by his assistant, April Potenciano ix