Clearing the smoke: The changing identities and work in firefighting

Abstract

The impact of computing devices on the nature of work has been a long-standing topic of inquiry. Removing the boundaries of traditional corporate organizations, the evolution from fixed ICT to mobile IoT has enabled a technology driven future, taking transformative technology off the desk and placing it in the field. The exponential increase, in mobility and reduction in cost have expanded accessibility to whole new categories of work including emergency response, manufacturing, and construction. There is a need to revitalize organizational studies alongside emerging technologies as new structures and environments make the kinds of initial questions in organizational studies relevant again. We present a qualitative investigation examining the implementation of a wearable device into two fire departments in the Southeastern United States. Our analysis demonstrates the importance of understanding how these types of new digital technologies impact organizations and shape how we educate and train the next generation workforce.