Towards Friction-Free Work: A Multi-Method Study of the Use of Information Technology in the Real Estate Industry

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Information and communication technologies (ICT) are used pervasively in the real estate industry. This study examines how people and organizations in this industry work and how this work adapts and is affected by the use of ICT. Since real estate agents act as transactional intermediaries, this industry is affected by a shift to electronic transactions and the potential disintermediation this implies. Since many industries are shifting towards more information/knowledge-based structures, understanding how ICT use is changing this industry will provide empirical evidence about potential changes that might be expected in other industries. The study has three objectives: 1. Describe how the use of ICT changes the ways individual knowledge workers conduct their work; 2. Describe organizational and industrial changes related to the use of ICT; 3. Describe how changes in individual work relate to changes in organizational and industrial structures and processes. At the individual level, the researchers focus on changes in work design and social capital. At the organization and industry levels, ideas from transaction cost and coordination theory are applied.