Chapter 12

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Practical Understanding of Negotiating Mobile Communication

Much of the research on mobile communication has been cross-sectional, focused on a single organization at one point in time. So the findings shared here reveal some well-grounded, practical discoveries rarely seen in academic research. White-collar workers are the ones most often studied because they pioneered the use of mobile devices. When they first hear about this research, they’re shocked to learn that everyone doesn’t communicate like they do. I hope this book helps people from all backgrounds realize that our own assumptions can blind us to understanding and being compassionate about differences. It might be a violation of others’ hopes for a colleague or friend to be unreachable during work hours, but we simply must learn how to have conversations that re-set expectations and allow us to take control over our own time. Finally, armed with this information, I hope HR and IT professionals can design BYOD policies that provide the training and support to allow all types of workers to use mobile devices productively.

Changing communities by capitalizing on research in communication technologies.