Describe the characteristics of an employee ideally suited for telecommuting. Explain. What are some issues you might face while collaborating on a virtual team? How could you mitigate the negative im

– Data scientists/data miners – Social media managers – Communications managers – Enabled new ways to do traditional work – Supported new ways to manage people 4 How IT Changes Traditional Work ■ Changes the way work is done – Broadens skills; faster but more tasks – Sometimes IT disconnects us from the tasks – Sometimes people can perform more strategic tasks – Few staff are engaged in order entry any longer – Crowdsourcing is now possible at very low cost ( M.Turk ) ■ Changes how we communicate – More asynchronous and more irregular – Social networking has provided new opportunities for customer interaction – Collaboration allows a firm to look “big” with new tools 5 How IT Changes Traditional Work ■ Changes decision -making – Real -time information; more information available – Data mining can identify new insights – Ideas can be gleaned from social networks – Middle management ranks have shrunk as Leavitt/ Whisler predicted ■ Changes collaboration – Work is now more team oriented; more collaborative – Sharing is easier than ever, using multiple methods – Crowdsourcing can now provide quick answers from tens, hundreds, or even thousands of people – We now can disconnect PLACE and TIME (Figure 4.2) 6 Collaboration Technologies Matrix 7 How IT Changes Traditional Work ■ New ways to connect – Many employees are always connected – Lines between work and play are now blurred – For many, home technologies are better than work technologies ■ New ways to manage people – Behavior controls – direct supervision – Outcome controls – examining outcomes not actions – Personnel controls – pick the right person for the task – The digital approach provides new opportunities at any of those three levels (Fig. 4.3) 8 © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Changes to Supervision/Evaluations/ Compensation/Hiring 9 Where Work is Done: Mobile and Virtual Work ■ Much work can be done anywhere, anytime ■ People desire the flexibility ■ Telecommuting = teleworking = working from home or even in a coffee shop ■ Mobile workers work from anywhere (often while traveling) ■ Remote workers = telecommuters + mobile workers ■ Virtual teams include remote workers as well as those in their offices, perhaps scattered geographically – Virtual teams have a life cycle (Figure 4.4) 10 Key Activities in the Life Cycle of Teams 11 Telecommuting: Global Status ■ A poll of 11,300 employees in 22 countries: 1 in 6 telecommute ■ When employees in 13 countries were asked if they need to be in the office to be productive: – Overall 39% said “yes” – But specific countries differed in the “yes” votes:

■ Only 7% in India, but ■ 56% in Japan ■ 57% in Germany 12 13 Driver Effect Shift to knowledge -based work Changing demographics and lifestyle preferences New technologies with enhanced bandwidth Web ubiquity “Green” concerns Decouples work from any particular place Workers desire geographic and time - shifting flexibility Remotely -performed work is practical and cost -effective Can stay connected 24/7 Reduced commuting costs; real estate energy consumption; travel costs Drivers of Remote Work and Virtual Teams 14 Advantages of Rem ote Work Potential Problems Reduced stress: better ability to meet schedules; less distraction at work Higher morale and lower absenteeism Geographic flexibility Higher personal productivity Housebound individuals can join the workforce Informal Dress Increased stress: Harder to separate work from home life Harder to evaluate performance Employee may become disconnected from company culture Telecommuters are more easily replaced by offshore workers Not suitable for all jobs or employees Security might be more difficult Some advantages and disadvantages of remote work Virtual Teams ■ Virtual Teams: geographically and/or organizationally dispersed coworkers: – Assembled using telecommunications and IT – Aim is to accomplish an organizational task – Often must be evaluated using outcome controls ■ Why are they growing in popularity? – Information explosion: some specialists are far away – Enhanced bandwidths/fast connections to outsiders – Technology is available to assist collaboration – Less difficult to get relevant stakeholders together 15 Challenges Virtual Teams Traditional Teams Communications • Multiple time zones can lead to greater efficiency but can lead to communication difficulties and coordination costs (passing work). • Non -verbal communication is difficult to convey • Same time zone. Scheduling is less difficult. • Teams may use richer communication media. Technology • Proficiency is required in several technologies. • Support for face -to -face interaction without replacing it • Skills and task -technology fit is less critical Team Diversity • Members represent different organizations and/or cultures:

-Harder to establish a group identity.

-Necessary to have better com. skills -More difficult to build trust, norms -Impact of deadlines not always consistent • More homogeneous members - Easier group identity - Easier to communicate 16 Challenges facing virtual teams . Managerial Issues In Telecommuting and Mobile Work ■ Planning, business and support tasks must be redesigned to support mobile and remote workers ■ Training should be offered so all workers can understand the new work environment ■ Employees selected for telecommuting jobs must be self -starters 17 Managing the Challenges ■ Communications challenges – Policies and practices must support the work arrangements – Must prepare differently for meetings – Slides and other electronic material must be shared beforehand – Soft -spoken people are difficult to hear; managers must repeat key messages – Frequent communications are helpful (hard to “ overcommunicate ”) ■ Technology challenges – Provide technology and support to remote workers – Use high quality web conferencing applications – Clarify time zones for scheduling – Information should be available for everyone (cloud storage can help) – Policies and norms about use of the technology can be important 18 Managing the Challenges ■ Diversity challenges – Concept of time differs throughout the world ■ Anglo -American cultures view time as a continuum (deadlines are important; many prefer not to multitask) ■ Indian cultures have a cyclical view of time (deadlines are less potent; many prefer to multitask) – Team diversity might need nurturing:

■ Communications differences ■ Trust building ■ Group identity formation 19 Gaining Acceptance For It - induced Change ■ Many changes might be a major concern for employees ■ Changes might be resisted if they are viewed as negative impacts ■ Several types of resistance: – Denying that the system is up and running – Sabotage by distorting or otherwise altering inputs – Believing and/or spreading the word that the new system will not change the status quo – Refusing to use the new system (if voluntary) 20 Kotter’s Model 21 Week 4 Objectives Complete Weekly Discussion & Respond to 2 other students.