Telecommuting : organisational impact of home-based telecommuting

Abstract: Telecommuting has recieved significant attention over the last few years, and organisations have considered having people work form home part of the time. This study focuses on how telecommuting have developed in three cases. The organisational impact when a group of people telecommuted was studied. The findings were that telecommuting had limited impact on the surrounding organisation, but was positive for the telecommuters. Impact on management and co-ordination was low, and communication patterns and media use remained largely unchanged. Work patterns for the telecommuters changed, but roles and tasks remained the same. The positive impact for the telecommuters related to a better control over their work situation and a percieved productivity increase. The development over time showed a decrease in telecommuting in the studied organisations. The found low sucess of telecommuting in combination with the percieved advantages and the low impact on the surrounding organisation may have several underlying factors. Communication media, and the need for rich communication, may play an important role in the slow development of telecommuting. Underlying mechanisms such as the strive for organisational coherence, symbolic aspects of telecommuting and institutional aspects are proposed to influence the adaption of telecommuting.