In addition to telecommuting, globalization of the world economy has meant that an increasing number of offices include employees who are spread not only around the country but around the world. Although these changes can lead to increased flexibility and higher productivity, they also raise a number of important issues. These concerns were the subject of a July campus workshop attended by about 50 academic and industry representatives who met to discuss the sociology of a business world where workers increasingly interact across spatial, organizational and cultural expanses. The group concluded that getting people to work effectively in different locations isn't just a matter of seeing that their telecommunications technology is in good working order. The quality of the equipment is important, of course, but it is equally important that the individuals involved realize that they must communicate clearly and explicitly with managers and fellow workers.
People can hear over their cubicles, they absorb information through osmosis.
When they're not co-located, there can be surprises. Thus, while the opportunity to form global teams allows access to global expertise, Hinds warned, this expertise may be more difficult to share when workers are widely distributed. It helps if a group of people collaborating from a distance know each other ahead of time, she said. One of the much-touted advantages of working at home is that it is easier to stay focused, because there are fewer unanticipated interruptions. Va. Cramton told of her study of 13 internationally distributed work teams composed of graduate business students and spanning nine time zones.