S6. Professionals and technologies

Abstract

Fast technology development is a defining feature of our era.  From computational techniques, tele-communications, to AI, technologies can shape or restructure professional work, organizations, and fields. Along with technology development, professionals gain new opportunities, but also face tremendous challenges. This session aims to understand the processes, mechanisms, and implications of technology development and changes in the professional world. For example, what are the key factors affecting the adoption or resistance of certain technologies among professionals? How do professional tradition, work, or identity shape the adoption processes and use patterns of technologies? What are the environmental and institutional factors that influence technology development, adoption, and diffusion in a professional field?  What are the organizational processes in affecting technology adoption and use? How do technologies reshape professional work, identity, and organizations? What are the impacts of technology adoption on professionals’ well-being, work performance, and organizational structures? From a comparative perspective, what are the institutional factors that influence technology adoption and use across different societies? What are the global implications of technology development for professionals? These are just some examples related to the theme of this session. Different theoretical perspectives and empirical analyses in various settings and at multiple levels are welcome.

Organizer

Wei Zhao, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA, weiz@ucr.edu.

Brief bio

Wei Zhao is a Professor of Sociology at UCR. Supported by an NSF grant, he is studying firefighters’ technology adoptions and social mechanisms. He has examined organizational changes in China and market valuation in the California and French wine industries. His publications have appeared in prominent sociology and management journals.