Utvecklas eller gå under : Organisationers arbetsformer och informationshantering under Covid-19 samt organisationernas nyorientering i den nya normaliteten

Sammanfattning: During 2020, pandemic Covid-19 hit organizations globally. Organizations changed to remote or hybrid work forms overnight. This prompted a fast development of information technology. Research during the pandemic shows expectations on new work forms to create a norm of flexible work forms. As organizations settled in the new normal this did not happen, organizations rather created their own policies for work forms, very much differentiated from each other. This made apparent a discrepancy between the expectations from researchers and the situation in the new normal, which is the problem this study will investigate. The purpose of this study is exploring the identified discrepancy and what consequences the work forms have caused in information management of organizations during the pandemic and in the new normal. The research question is: What consequences have the new work forms had for the information culture and information management of this study’s organizations during the Covid-19 pandemic and in the new normal? The theoretical framework is based on Choo’s theories on information management in organizations and his 4R model which also works as a tool for analysis. This qualitative study uses semi structured interviews with seven interviewees at different Swedish organizations. Results show that work forms have impacted information management of organizations and that organizations in the new normal create their own policies for work forms based on a range of different arguments. Conclusions find that development of information technology enables flexible work forms, but also that organizations still search for individual solutions for flexible work.