Communication and coordination in the virtual office
Journal of Management Information Systems, Spring 1998, Vol. 14 Issue 4, p7, 22p
Fritz, Mary Beth Watson; Narasimhan, Sridhar; Rhee, Hyeun-Suk
As information technology becomes more pervasive, the structure of the traditional work environment is changing. A number of alternatives are emerging where work is performed at remote locations. Existing work practices and managerial strategies are often not appropriate in this environment. In particular, traditional office communication with coworkers and management, which is often dependent on physical proximity, is disrupted. In this study, individual satisfaction with office communication in the telecommuting and conventional work environments is compared through a study of telecommuters and a comparison group of non-telecommuters in nine firms. The authors investigate the influence of certain organizational factors, such as job characteristics, IT support, and coordination methods, on satisfaction with office communication in the two work environments. They find telecommuters report higher satisfaction with office communication. The findings indicate that task predictability, IT support, and electronic coordination have similar influences for both groups. They discuss implications of these findings for research and practice.

ISE Categories:  Coordination