On the Lost Property of Telework During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan: From the Perspective of Sociomateriality and Organizational Citizenship Behaviour

When telework was discussed in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic, the context of staying home was strongly considered. As a result, the primary focus has been on carrying out one's assigned work at home. In other words, people tend to focus on the fact that they can carry out their work without being restricted by location. However, the networked aspect of telework is important. In other words, to realize telework, it is necessary to fully consider the aspect of making one's own work visible and collaborating with others. In this paper, the author clarifies the significance of the "connection" that information systems engender by examining the mechanism of inducing organizational citizenship behaviour from the perspective of “sociomateriality” proposed by Wanda Orlikowski et al. in information systems research. Furthermore, we warn against “discretionary bias,” a tendency to “free oneself from the constraints of time and place,” which appears, because telework was introduced as a measure to prevent the spread of infection. In addition, this paper examines the case of intranets in the 1990s to clarify the nature of connection through information systems and to find new insights in old cases, just as the Industrial Revolution is referenced in discussions of whether AI will take away jobs.