Executives and smartphones: friend or foe?

Abstract

This article seeks to identify the existence of ambiguities in the day-to-day use of smartphones by Brazilian executives. In this manner, fourteen technological paradoxes were identified from the theoretical reference base adopted. The single representative case study method was then applied, by analysing a Brazilian company in the pharmaceutical sector, which has a policy of providing smartphones to its senior executives. After consolidation and analysis of the data collected, it was seen that of the fourteen paradoxes obtained, two generated strong ambiguity regarding the use of smartphones by the executives in question, namely: continuity vs. asynchronicity and autonomy vs. addiction. Furthermore, three other paradoxes were moderately associated with the use of smartphones by the executives in question, namely freedom vs. enslavement, dependence vs. independence, and planning vs. improvisation. Lastly, the implications and limitations of the research are presented, as well as recommendations for future work associated with this theme. © (2012) by the AIS/ICIS Administrative Office All rights reserved.