Tracing the trajectory of digital affordance actualisation during a rare event: a relational affordance model

Purpose This study examines relational affordance actualisation in the context of a rare event. Design/methodology/approach Viewing affordances as emergent relational properties constituted through interactions between users, artefacts and contextual settings, we conducted six focus groups involving 30 participants at two points in time (2020 and 2022). Findings We theorise a recursive five-stage relational affordance actualisation process, namely (1) default stage, (2) context-induced agentic/forced usage, (3) conscious recognition of artefact's enabling and disabling affordances, (4) contested equilibrium and (5) purposeful/agentic usage. Research limitations/implications While the study contributes to a better understanding of the relational affordance actualisation process, the sample may limit the generalizability of this research. Therefore, future studies may recruit users with varying levels of skill, digital literacy, resources and cognitive capacity. Practical implications In practice, our study informs responsive job design, digital collaboration and employee support in the face of uncertainty triggered by rare events. Originality/value We build on Strong et al. (2014) by unpacking the action–outcome process and explicating the individual-level and relational dynamics through which affordances are actualised in a rare-event context. We account for users' situatedness within a broader environmental context, constituted by material conditions, social relations, organisational expectations and temporal conditions, and theorise how distinct styles of affordance actualisation are manifested at each stage of the process through the unique forms of agency users deploy.