Brokering workarounds in globally distributed work
研究正式中介在全球分布式工作中面临的信息中介挑战，发现用户常绕过中介直接交换信息（变通绕过），中介需评估其影响并采取保护或允许连接行动。
Unlike emergent brokers, formal brokers are appointed to mediate information exchanges in a highly structured setting. While the use of formal brokers has increased, particularly in globally distributed work, the extant literature has so far paid little attention to the information brokering challenges faced by formal brokers. Our case analysis revealed that, despite the structured setting, information users often bypass the broker and exchange information directly, also known as a workaround, thus disrupting the brokering process. In this scenario, the broker is displaced and is not able to broker. Interestingly, our findings suggest that the formal broker does not necessarily reassume their brokering role once workarounds are detected. Instead, the formal broker first assesses the conditions that led to the workarounds and their impact (positive or negative) on the information exchange network. Should the impact be negative, the formal broker regains their brokering role by deploying protecting actions. However, a positive impact on the information exchange network allows the broker to maintain a nonbrokering position, thus passively allowing connecting actions to resume. We describe three practices that formal brokers pursue when workarounds are present and conclude by outlining the contributions to research and practice.