Variations and Commonalities in Processes of Collaboration: The Need for Multi-Site Workplace Studies

  • Authors:

  • Rebecca Randell;Stephanie Wilson;Peter Woodward

  • Affiliations:

  • Leeds Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Leeds, Wellcome Trust Brenner Building, St James's University Hospital, Leeds, UK LS9 7TF;Centre for Human-Computer Interaction Design, City University London, London, UK EC1V 0HB;Department of Biosurgery and Surgical Technology, Imperial College London, London, UK

  • Venue:
  • Computer Supported Cooperative Work
  • Year:
  • 2011

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Abstract

Workplace studies have made a major contribution to the field of CSCW, drawing attention to subtle practices that enable effective collaboration. However, workplace studies typically focus on a single setting, making it difficult to assess the generalisability of the findings. Through a multi-site workplace study, we explore a specific collaborative process, that of the handover which occurs when a patient is transferred from one hospital or ward to another. The study demonstrates that the term `handover' captures a variety of collaborative practices that vary in both their form and content, reflecting aspects of the setting in which they occur. Multi-site workplace studies are shown to be essential for CSCW, not only generating findings that have relevance beyond a single setting but also focusing attention on aspects of work practice that may otherwise go unnoticed.