Abstract
Virtual collaboration involves the performance of joint work activities by individuals who are in different geographic locations. In this essay, I argue that that there is significant unseen and unaccounted for effort required to perform work in virtual collaboration. The notions of organizational discontinuity theory (ODT) and articulation work are employed to develop this argument and uncover the invisible work in virtual collaboration. I hypothesize that, while often perceived as unremarkable, this hidden work increases the complexity of collaboration activities. The chapter concludes with a discussion of potential consequences and future research directions.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
I would like to acknowledge helpful discussion with my colleague Catherine Cramton in developing these ideas.
References
Barley, S. R., & Kunda, G. (2001). Bringing work back in. Organization Science, 12(1), 76–95.
Chudoba, K. M., Wynn, E., Lu, M., & Watson-Manheim, M. B. (2005). How virtual are we? Measuring virtuality and understanding its impact in a global organization. Information Systems Journal, 15(4), 279–306.
Cramton, C. D. (2001). The mutual knowledge problem and its consequences for dispersed collaboration. Organization Science, 12(3), 346–371.
Dixon, K. R., & Panteli, N. (2010). From virtual teams to virtuality in teams. Human Relations, 63(8), 1177–1197.
Ferrazzi, K. (2014). Getting virtual teams right. Harvard Business Review, 92(12), 120–123.
Feldman, M. S., & Pentland, B. T. (2003). Reconceptualizing organizational routines as a source of flexibility and change. Administrative Science Quarterly, 48(1), 94–118.
George, J. M., & Jones, G. R. (2001). Towards a process model of individual change in organizations. Human Relations, 54(4), 419–444.
Gilson, L. L., Maynard, M. T., Jones Young, N. C., Vartiainen, M., & Hakonen, M. (2015). Virtual teams research: 10 years, 10 themes, and 10 opportunities. Journal of Management, 41(5), 1313–1337.
Grinter, R. E. (1996). Supporting articulation work using software configuration management systems. Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), 5(4), 447–465.
Hinds, P. J., & Mortensen, M. (2005). Understanding conflict in geographically distributed teams: The moderating effects of shared identity, shared context, and spontaneous communication. Organization Science, 16(3), 290–307.
Louis, M. R., & Sutton, R. I. (1991). Switching cognitive gears: From habits of mind to active thinking. Human Relations, 44(1), 55–76.
Majchrzak, A., Malhotra, A., Stamps, J., & Lipnack, J. (2004). Can absence make a team grow stronger? Harvard Business Review, 82(5), 131–137.
Neeley, T. (2015). Global teams that work. Harvard Business Review, 93(10), 74–81.
Rice, D. J., Davidson, B. D., Dannenhoffer, J. F., & Gay, G. K. (2007). Improving the effectiveness of virtual teams by adapting team processes. Computer Supported Cooperative Work, 16, 567–594.
Sawyer, S., & Tapia, A. (2006). Always articulating: theorizing on mobile and wireless technologies. The Information Society, 22, 1–13.
Schmidt, K., & Bannon, L. (1992). Taking CSCW seriously. Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), 1(1–2), 7–40.
Star, S. L. (1991). The sociology of the invisible: The primacy of work in the writings of Anselm Strauss. Social organization and social process: Essays in honor of Anselm Strauss (pp. 265–283).
Strauss, A. (1985). Work and the division of labor. The Sociological Quarterly, 26(1), 1–19.
Strauss, A. (1988). The articulation of project work: An organizational process. The Sociological Quarterly, 29(2), 163–178.
Watson-Manheim, M. B., Chudoba, K. M., & Crowston, K. (2012). Perceived discontinuities and constructed continuities in virtual work. Information Systems Journal, 22(1), 29–52.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Watson-Manheim, M.B. (2019). Discontinuities, Continuities, and Hidden Work in Virtual Collaboration. In: Riemer, K., Schellhammer, S., Meinert, M. (eds) Collaboration in the Digital Age. Progress in IS. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94487-6_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94487-6_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-94486-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-94487-6
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)