An In-Depth Investigation of Communication Mode Choices in Distributed Teams

Advances in information technologies facilitate new organizational forms and new ways of structuring work, such as the use of distributed teams. In distributed environments, individuals have many choices of communication modes for use with colleagues. Previous research has primarily addressed the need for richness of a medium to ìfitî the characteristics of the communication task being performed. There has been little research on when and how different communication technologies are used in the performance of specific communication-based work processes (e.g., information gathering, relationship development). Using an interpretive case study approach, and guided by a hermeneutic perspective, texts from interviews of 40 individuals working in distributed teams in two organizations were analyzed. Analysis was conducted in three stages: (1) key patterns of meanings expressed by each employee, (2) key patterns of meaning that emerge across organizations, and (3) broader conceptual and managerial implications from the analysis. Some initial individual patterns include the relationship between media choice and the specific communication-based work process performed, and the influence of the type of team structure in which the communication-based work process is embedded on the choice. Findings at all stages of analysis will be discussed

Linking macro-level goals to micro-level routines: EHR-enabled transformation of primary care services

Information and communication technologies are known to be instrumental in the enhancement of healthcare management capabilities in developing countries. Turkey - a developing country - has undergone a major healthcare transformation marked by the redesign of primary care delivery and the implementation of a nation-wide Electronic Health Records (EHR) system. In this research, presenting Turkey\u27s case, we investigate the consequences of EHR implementation in developing countries. We argue that to better understand the consequences, we need to link macro-level healthcare goals with micro-level system usage behaviors that actualize the macro-level goals or alternatively result in unintended negative health outcomes. We posit that this linkage is achieved through the meso-level structures, namely the EHR and the organizational context, in which it is embedded. Hence, we examine the EHR\u27s role in this relationship. Our findings indicate that EHR usage both enables and constrains the achievement of clinicians\u27 professional goals in the context of primary care delivery. Moreover, goal alignment between the government agency as the designer of the system and the clinicians influence the outcomes of the EHR-enabled transformation. When the healthcare goals are aligned, the system enables the clinicians to achieve their professional goals and their system usage behaviors converge, contributing to improvements in health outcomes. Contrarily, when the goals are misaligned, the system constrains goal achievement and the clinicians show divergent usage behaviors, including goal abandonment. In turn, goal abandonment may lead to negative consequences and even adversely affect the achievement of population-level healthcare goals in the long run

Use of Social Media in the Workplace: Contradictions and Unintended Consequences

Even though social media technologies have been increasingly adopted in the workplace, few studies have looked at the consequences and contradictory outcomes of this adoption. This exploratory case study seeks to understand how organizations are using social media and what the consequences of this adoption are, from the perspective of managers and users. Ten in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with managers and social media users of a large professional association in the US (Pro-Org, a pseudonym). Preliminary findings suggest that adoption of social media is not a controlled process, and contradictory expectations among management and coping strategies from users may undermine organizational capacity to achieve its outcomes regarding social media

User Friendly and Adaptable Discriminative AI: Using the Lessons from the Success of LLMs and Image Generation Models

While there is significant interest in using generative AI tools as general-purpose models for specific ML applications, discriminative models are much more widely deployed currently. One of the key shortcomings of these discriminative AI tools that have been already deployed is that they are not adaptable and user-friendly compared to generative AI tools (e.g., GPT4, Stable Diffusion, Bard, etc.), where a non-expert user can iteratively refine model inputs and give real-time feedback that can be accounted for immediately, allowing users to build trust from the start. Inspired by this emerging collaborative workflow, we develop a new system architecture that enables users to work with discriminative models (such as for object detection, sentiment classification, etc.) in a fashion similar to generative AI tools, where they can easily provide immediate feedback as well as adapt the deployed models as desired. Our approach has implications on improving trust, user-friendliness, and adaptability of these versatile but traditional prediction models

Distance Matters, Except When It Doesn\u27t: Discontinuities in Virtual Work

Virtual work has become an increasingly common phenomenon in today\u27s organizations. Substantial and continuing changes in organizational processes and IT infrastructure have increased the pace and intensity of working across traditionally impermeable boundaries, enabling diverse forms of collaboration. However, our understanding of the consequences and implications of virtual work still lags and research results have been contradictory. We suggest that some of these inconsistencies have been because the boundaries that characterize virtual work-time, space, culture, organization, and so forth-are objective demarcations that are not uniformly problematic. It is only when those working in virtual settings perceive a boundary to be a discontinuity that it hinders work processes. We develop a model of virtual work that differentiates between boundaries and discontinuities, which helps account for contradictory findings. By examining the process of virtual work in more detail, we can uncover issues that are the underlying cause of problems, rather than deal with the more obvious symptoms that can mask underlying problem. Our model has implications both for research and for those working in virtual environments

Understanding Virtuality in a Global Organization: Toward a Virtuality Index

“We are getting more virtual all the time!” was a phrase frequently uttered during recent planning sessions for remote collaboration support at Intel Corporation; some form of this statement is no doubt made in other global firms as well. But what virtual comprises is not well understood. The construct of virtuality cannot be directly measured, so how virtual and how fast the stated change is occurring is mostly an enigma. Certain high level metrics of corporate information infrastructure can give indications, but much of virtuality is not obvious. The lack of definition makes it hard to understand the impact of virtual work on performance, or to evaluate the infrastructure and collaborative toolset needed to support distributed knowledge workers. Building on the concept of discontinuities, or factors contributing to a decrease in cohesion, we propose a virtuality index to assess the degree to which virtual work occurs and the pace at which this phenomenon progresses. The index was derived from data gathered in a study with sound psychometrics of over 1,200 employees at Intel Corporation. Preliminary analyses suggest that work predictability and general sociability (on or off teams), along with a range of media for expressivity and visualization can mitigate the consequences of working in discontinuous environments, while discontinuity of practices (e.g., more cultural and work process diversity) and worker mobility negatively impact the perception of team performance. Being distributed in and of itself was found to have no impact on team performance. These findings, along with others yet to be analyzed, promise to give us a handle on how the discontinuities of working virtually can be most effectively supported with collaboration tools

The composition and role of convergent technological repertoires in audiovisual media consumption

This mixed-method research focuses on the growing appropriation of multiple screen devices for audiovisual media consumption. Based on survey measures, we distinguish three patterns: (a) maintaining the status quo, by mainly drawing upon television, (b) broadening up the repertoire, by extending television with computers and mobile devices, or (c) even replacing television by a computer. Next, we draw upon insights from niche theory, rationalising media choices in terms of competing gratifications. This perspective is however too one-sided, as our results indicate that habit is a much stronger explanatory variable, especially when a broad range of devices are appropriated. In a follow-up qualitative study, based on Q-methodology, we found that the orientations towards what people seek in audiovisual technologies are only mildly contingent with specific technology appropriation. This problematises the very substance of niches in the audiovisual: as technologies are capable of the same benefits, their discriminating power is declining. Hence, in future applications of niche theory, gratifications and habits of communication modes (what people do with media technologies) should be taken into account, rather than media as tied to a specific technology. Niche theory's core remains, but its applications should be updated to theoretical insights matching the evolving media environment

Ride-Sharing Services and Environmental Sustainability: An Empirical Investigation of UberX Entry and Gas Emissions

On-demand ride-sharing services, such as Uber and Lyft, promote themselves as an innovation that solves old transportation problems and as sustainable transportation systems that reduce traffic congestions and environmental impact. Despite the increasing studies that examine the societal and economic impact of on-demand ride-sharing services, little is known on the environmental impact of these services. Using data collected from 46 Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the United States, we employ difference-in-differences framework to investigate the impact of the entry of an on-demand ride-sharing service, UberX, on gas emission levels. The results suggest an increase in the maximum levels of gas emissions after the introduction of UberX

Distributed analysis: the last frontier?

1 It is widely agreed that the trend toward distributed software development is growing. Although there are difficulties involved, this trend is here to stay, as organizations will continue to search for ways to develop software at lower cost but with same quality. Current research has focused primarily on the later stages of the software development life cycle, especially coding of software requirements. However, as organizations become more virtual, distributed development will become more apparent throughout the entire life cycle. In this study, we investigate distributed analysis in software development. We report on results from a field experiment with two graduate level Information Systems classes, one located in Porto Alegre, Brazil and one in Chicago, U.S. The students in Brazil played the role of users whereas the students in Chicago role-played analysts. The Chicago-based students developed a requirements document for an information system by interviewing the Brazil students using an electronic discussion board. Our findings provide insight into the distributed analysis process and identify sources of potential problems. 1