A framework for the support of mobile knowledge workers in South Africa

Over a relatively short time span, mobile communication progressed from an expensive and unwieldy commodity to the brink of delivering a truly “agile” workplace. It has become of importance for organisations to invest in initiatives aimed at providing workers with a degree of mobility. The impact of mobility on organisational environments seems to be generally well understood. The researchers identified a gap with regard to a holistic analysis of the requirements of mobile environments. The question as to what framework can be defined to guide organisations when designing environments to support mobile knowledge workers was identified. Having analysed data gathered via an online questionnaire with the current literature knowledge base, a layered approach to mobile environments, namely the SAND framework, was designed. Addressing the aspects captured in the layers of the framework can assist organisations in designing successful and optimal mobile environments.