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are positioned within spaces; and enactment
concerns the lived experiences of members in
organisational spaces.
We also returned to our research participants
as we developed this analysis and asked them
to email us their experiences of in-person and
online meetings. A small number of participants
did so, and we engaged in a conversation
with them that provided many insights that
corroborated and enriched our own impressions.
10.1 Enchantment
The enchantment of the face-to-face board
meeting is closely bound up with the physical
environment and this includes the location of the
boardroom and the way in which it is entered.
In a sense, the passage through the building
enables participants to assume the identity of
governor. A deputy chair told us:
One board member said,
By contrast, enchantment in the online
space seemed related to the medium itself.
We observed one exchange between the
chair of a board and a board member which
illustrates this. At the board meeting one of the
governors was lit by a warm, incandescent light,
which lent a soft glow. The chair remarked:
"�Once�parked,�I�usually�rush�to�the�
Campus�whilst�trying�to�locate�my�
security�pass�in�my�bag�and�dodging�
other�pedestrians�always�walking�way�
too�slowly�for�my�liking.�The�closer�
I�get�to�the�building,�my�thoughts�
regularly�turn�to�the�famous�scene�in�
Rocky�and�I�have�to�prepare�mentally�
and�physically�for�the�sprint�up�the�
stairs. Much to the amusement of
on-looking�students."�(Deputy�Chair)
"�Previously�I�felt�a�sense�of�place�
when I went to Board meetings which
helped�me�to�connect�to�my�role�as�
a Board Member, in a sense it was
like�putting�on�my�'college�uniform'�
and�switching�my�brain�onto�college�
business as I entered the building,
made�my�way�through�the�foyer�and�
up to the Boardroom. I looked forward
to�the�meetings�and�seeing�my�
colleagues."�(Board�Member)
Chair:��I'm�wondering�if�you've�got�
Cecil B DeMille in there?
Governor:��Well,�I've�only�got�a�light�in�
front�of�me.�I�think�that's�
what�makes�the�difference.�
They�say�you�should�try�and�
have�a�light�in�front�of�you,�
rather than behind or to the
side,�so�that's�all�it�is.
Chair:�Yeah,�it's�almost�like,�'I'm�ready�
for�my�close-up,�Mr�DeMille'.
Enchantment in the online space