Virtuality and non-virtuality in remote stock trading

Abstract

Advances in information technology allow for remote working, leading to suggestions that remote individuals can work as well in virtual teams asin face-to-face teams. This paper considers the continued use of face-to-face communication in a European group of stock traders, despite the capabilities of information technology to individuate the work. The case illustrates that traders prefer to work in face-to-face settings for various reasons. Short term reasons arise from a need for instant and effortless communication in their manipulation of market prices and instant knowledge sharing, leading to both higher individual and collective profits. Long term reasons arise from a need for continuous learning across novices and experts, as stock markets and stock prices settle into behavioral patterns over longer periods of time. The implications for computing and work are discussed