Abstract
This study investigates how the participatory design concept of infra structuring and the formation of a public manifests differently in Japanese workplaces under data-driven management. Building on recognized pillars for public formation—incorporation of authority, development of attachment, and cultivation of ownership—we explore how these elements are shaped by Japan's unique organizational and cultural dynamics. Although employees in Japan express concerns about data use in the workplace, such as potential increases in bias, discrimination, deskilling, and unsafe practices, these anxieties rarely lead to open discussion or collective action. We argue that socio cultural factors, including a deep-rooted emphasis on harmony and deference to authority, shape this hesitation. In such contexts, efforts to initiate infra structuring can be misinterpreted as resistance to authority rather than constructive engagement. Through a series of workshops designed to simulate and reflect on everyday tensions surrounding data use, we examine how Japanese employees could foster public formation and acts of infra structuring within hierarchical and collectivist structures. Our findings suggest that infra structuring in Japanese workplaces requires reinterpreting the three pillars: gaining top-down authorization, aligning the public's attachments with the organization's goal, and building capacity for initiating and participating in the public. By examining these challenges and adaptations, this study contributes to ongoing conversations about how design researchers must culturally contextual ize infra structuring practices. We conclude by emphasizing the need to discussions about "ontological struggles," highlighting how practitioners translate knowledge shared in design research into culturally situated wisdom to advance perseverance and enhancement of the pluriverse.
Keywords
Participatory Design; Infrastructuring; Public Formation; Data-Driven Workplace; Socio- Cultural Context
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.930
Citation
Kitazaki, M., University, A., Take, R., Koborita, R.,and Nakamura, Y.(2025) Developing publics in companies through infrastructuring for data-driven workplaces in Japan, in Chang, C.-Y., and Hsu, Y. (eds.), IASDR 2025: Design Next, 02-05 December, Taiwan. https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.930
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
Track 6 - Co-creation
Developing publics in companies through infrastructuring for data-driven workplaces in Japan
This study investigates how the participatory design concept of infra structuring and the formation of a public manifests differently in Japanese workplaces under data-driven management. Building on recognized pillars for public formation—incorporation of authority, development of attachment, and cultivation of ownership—we explore how these elements are shaped by Japan's unique organizational and cultural dynamics. Although employees in Japan express concerns about data use in the workplace, such as potential increases in bias, discrimination, deskilling, and unsafe practices, these anxieties rarely lead to open discussion or collective action. We argue that socio cultural factors, including a deep-rooted emphasis on harmony and deference to authority, shape this hesitation. In such contexts, efforts to initiate infra structuring can be misinterpreted as resistance to authority rather than constructive engagement. Through a series of workshops designed to simulate and reflect on everyday tensions surrounding data use, we examine how Japanese employees could foster public formation and acts of infra structuring within hierarchical and collectivist structures. Our findings suggest that infra structuring in Japanese workplaces requires reinterpreting the three pillars: gaining top-down authorization, aligning the public's attachments with the organization's goal, and building capacity for initiating and participating in the public. By examining these challenges and adaptations, this study contributes to ongoing conversations about how design researchers must culturally contextual ize infra structuring practices. We conclude by emphasizing the need to discussions about "ontological struggles," highlighting how practitioners translate knowledge shared in design research into culturally situated wisdom to advance perseverance and enhancement of the pluriverse.