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Exploring the organizational proliferation of new technologies: an affective actor-network theory

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posted on 2018-11-06, 11:20 authored by Dan SageDan Sage, Chloe Vitry, Andrew Dainty
In this paper we explore the role of affective encounters between human and non-human bodies in the proliferation of new technologies within and across work organisations. Our exploration challenges not only the long-standing rationalism within studies of technological innovation but the anthropocentrism of burgeoning studies of technology, innovation and affect. Responding to these proclivities, we propose and elaborate an affective Actor-Network Theory (ANT) as an alternative analytical approach by cross-fertilizing ANT concepts with Deleuze’s reading of the affective philosophy of Spinoza. Our approach is elaborated further with the technological innovation of zero-carbon homes in the United Kingdom. Affective ANT is proposed to explain the profound role of affects in the circulation of technologies and technologies in the circulation of affects. This theory contributes by challenging: studies of affect, innovation and technology to examine the significance of relational human affects in the proliferation of new technologies; organisational studies to consider the interplay of human and technical affects; and Deleuzo-Spinozian organisational studies to conceptualize how affects are organised to serve managerial interests and agendas, such as technological innovation.

Funding

This study was supported by the United Kingdom’s Economic and Social Research Council (grant number: ES/M000249/1).

History

School

  • Business and Economics

Department

  • Business

Published in

Organization Studies

Volume

41

Issue

3

Pages

345-363

Citation

SAGE, D.J., VITRY, C. and DAINTY, A.R.J., 2020. Exploring the organizational proliferation of new technologies: an affective actor-network theory. Organization Studies, 41 (3), pp.345-363.

Publisher

SAGE Publications © The Author(s)

Version

  • VoR (Version of Record)

Rights holder

© the authors

Publisher statement

This work is made available according to the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. Full details of this licence are available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Acceptance date

2018-10-31

Publication date

2019-01-12

Copyright date

2019

Notes

This is an Open Access Article. It is published by Sage under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported Licence (CC BY). Full details of this licence are available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

ISSN

0170-8406

eISSN

1741-3044

Language

  • en

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