Research Recommendations to Facilitate Distributed Work (1994) / Chapter Skim
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3 DISTRIBUTED WORK AND GROUP PROCESSES
3 DISTRIBUTED WORK AND GROUP PROCESSES
Pages 35-45
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From page 35... ...
The impact of distributed work on group processes and performance is worthy of examination because group performance encompasses individual performance, because so much of the work in organizations is done by groups, and because organizations themselves have functions that parallel those of groups (Katz and Kahn, 1979~. Reviewing the voluminous research literature on groups and organizations is beyond the scope of this report.
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From page 36... ...
Introducing advanced robotics on the shop floor will yield a very different relationship between technology and organizational culture than will increasing the availability of laptop computers, cellular telephones, and modems in the ranks of middle management or at the strategic apex of the corporation. The introduction of new technologies to facilitate distributed work is simply a particular case of the broad interaction between organizations and technology.
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From page 37... ...
Such a work arrangement requires fundamental changes in core work concepts and practices: inventory is delivered to technicians rather than having to be picked up at parts depots, and assignments are obtained at home rather than at the office. The technician's data become part of a larger performance management system so that management can track trends in the nature of service calls, anticipate preventive maintenance needs, and so on.
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From page 38... ...
People learn the norms of an organization and many job-relevant behaviors by observing the people around them. Supervisors manage groups by monitoring employee effort, recognizing and averting incipient failure, helping resolve personality conflicts, appraising performance, and providing advice and instruction.
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From page 39... ...
However, in other groups, like senior management teams, quality improvement circles, or teams of collaborating scientists, specific goals often emerge from informal communication. This communication can occur in distributed communication environments through the use of electronic bulletin boards or electronic mail distribution lists, or through the use of real-time audioor videoconferences.
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From page 40... ...
Spatial propinquity often leads to collaboration since it is likely to lead to informal communication." Of course, more recent experiences with electronic networks suggest new options for stimulating informal communication, although it may be too early to tell how productive they are. During the initiation phase of a collaboration, potential collaborators must establish an intellectual and interpersonal relationship based on shared interests.
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From page 41... ...
Of course, this phenomenon is also reflected in conventional hiring procedures, in which substantial screening is done based on resumes or comparable documentation but final decisions tend to be based on interviews and consultations with references. The ability to assess personal, work-relevant attributes from databases of public-record materials or, more likely, to interact infor mally with individuals who could attest to such attributes could promote more effective, efficient formation of distributed work groups (assuming that privacy, liability, and other ancillary social and legal considerations can be accommodated)
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From page 42... ...
The first management problem is building one cohesive group out of distributed subgroups. How can technology be used to help people create shared mental models, shared goals, and trust?
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From page 43... ...
A user needs tools to easily convert paper sources of information back into electronic form and to ship, store, and retrieve them. The individual parts for these tools are commercially available in the form of scanners, optical character recognition systems, facsimile machines, multimedia databases, and multimedia electronic mail.
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From page 44... ...
Using new indexing mechanisms, the posting could be directed to a small group of campus members with relevant expertise instead of being broadcast to the entire campus or merely posted on a computer bulletin board. These experts could be encouraged to provide answers by systems that implement payment of a royalty for information, that archive particular requests for later use by others, or that highlight an expert's similarity to or identification with the person asking the questions.
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From page 45... ...
, but it has been based on conventional information retrieval techniques. Future research should also consider the dissemination of information in electronic form.
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