Digital work in a digitally challenged organization

Digitally literate employees are accustomed to having free access to digital media technologies. However, some organizations enact information technology (IT) governance structures that explicitly proscribe access to these technologies, resulting in considerable tension between employees and the organization. We explore these tensions in an exploratory investigation into the Chinese operations of a global hotel chain. We examine how employees creatively act as bricoleurs as they violate IT policies to ensure access to the digital media of their choice. We discuss the broader implications of our findings for practicing managers, as well as future research opportunities, before concluding the paper.