Computer-Supported Knotworking: Design guidelines based on two case studies from the healthcare domain in Europe

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In this paper, we compare two cases of collaboration within healthcare in two European countries. In each of these two cases, we conducted a design case study, and we found that collaboration is ad hoc, temporary, and shifting with regards to collaborators, aims, and processes. We argue for the relevance of knotworking and its analytic potential for investigating the kind of collaborative work we observed. We also argue that our two cases present a higher complexity level than how knotworking has previously been described in the literature. We describe complex knotworking as having three characteristics: 1) collaboration happens between a dynamic number of actors (who are usually loosely connected), 2) collaboration happens in episodes, and 3) cooperative work arrangements are constantly negotiated. Using the concept of complex knotworking for a comparative analysis of our two design solutions, we outline generic design guidelines for developing computer support to manage complex knotworking situations.