The Connectivity Paradox: Using Technology to Both Decrease and Increase Perceptions of Distance in Distributed Work Arrangements

Abstract

This manuscript is one of many in a special issue of the Journal of Applied Communication Research on “Communication and Distance,” Volume 38, No. 1.

Distributed work arrangements are gaining in popularity. Such arrangements are enabled through Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Problematically, the same ICTs that are implemented to overcome distance felt in these settings can also create the expectation of constant connectivity for individuals, constructing a paradox for teleworkers who find the potential benefits of distributed work negated by the very technologies that made the arrangement possible. To combat this problem, teleworkers sometimes use their ICTs strategically to decrease, rather than increase, the distance they feel from colleagues. Findings indicate this strategic use of ICTs to increase distance are often covert, such that teleworkers can appear to colleagues as if they are working in a manner similar to how they would at an office while, at the same time, reaping the benefits of not being in a central location.

Keywords:

• Telework
• Connectivity
• Distributed Work
• Distance
• Organizational Change

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Cisco Systems for supporting this research, Natalie Nelson-Marsh for her assistance in data collection, and the Robert and Kaye Hiatt Fund for Research in Media, Technology and Society for the generous funding of this project.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Paul M. Leonardi

Paul M. Leonardi is an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies, Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences, and Management and Organizations at Northwestern University where he holds the Breed Junior Chair in Design

Jeffrey W. Treem

Jeffrey W. Treem is a Ph.D. Student in the Media, Technology and Society program at Northwestern University

Michele H. Jackson

Michele H. Jackson is an Associate Professor of Communication at the University of Colorado, Boulder