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Human Relations
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Work–life boundary management and the personal digital assistant

Annis G. Golden

Department of Communication at the University at Alban,agolden@albany. edu

Cheryl Geisler

State University of New York, and Faculty at the Alden March Bioethics Institute of Albany Medical Center,geislc{at}rpi.edu

New mobile information and communication technologies are of special interest to researchers seeking to understand the problematic of boundaries between work and personal-life. This study examines how workers used and interpreted the personal digital assistant (PDA) as a boundary management resource. Using a protocol that combined structured, closed-ended questions with open-ended questions, 42 users were interviewed. The data were analyzed to examine individuals' practices in using this technology, the interpretive resources they drew upon, and the ways in which the spirit of the device's design intersected with their practices and interpretations. Results suggest that the spirit of the device is control, and that users interpreted their technological practices as expressions of personal agency, using the PDA to control the work—life boundary through both integration and segmentation of work and personal-life.

Key Words: borders • boundaries • communication • discourse analysis • mobile ICTs • PDA • work and family • work–life

Human Relations, Vol. 60, No. 3, 519-551 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0018726707076698
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