Media Repertoires - Making Sense Of The Dynamics Of Usage Practices

The concept of communication media repertoires introduced by Watson-Manheim and Bélanger (2007) has extended the existing literature by adding a technology-in-practice perspective to the examination of communication media choice in an organizational setting. While Watson-Manheim and Bélanger (2007) have focused on describing the existing media repertoires (set of available media and existing usage practices for specific purposes) and actual media usage decisions at two different companies at one point in time, this paper seeks to investigate dynamic transformations of communication media repertoires resulting from the introduction of a new platform technology over time. This paper is based on an in-depth case study on the roll-out of a Real Time Collaboration system to a financial service company. It reports on the resulting transformation of existing and the emergence of new usage practices for the purpose of coordinating team availability, thereby pointing out that (initial) usage practices of a new communication technology can only be understood against the background of already established practices and their history.