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

Paul M. Leonardi; Jeffrey W. Treem; Michele H. Jackson

doi:10.1080/00909880903483599

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

Paul M. Leonardi, Jeffrey W. Treem, Michele H. Jackson

Integrated Marketing Communications

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

156 Scopus citations

Abstract

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.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	85-105
Number of pages	21
Journal	Journal of Applied Communication Research
Volume	38
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/00909880903483599
State	Published - Feb 2010

Funding

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 is a Ph.D. Student in the Media, Technology and Society program at Northwestern University. Michele H. Jackson is an Associate Professor of Communication at the University of Colorado, Boulder. 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. Correspondence to: Paul M. Leonardi, Department of Communication Studies, 2240 Campus Drive, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA. E-mail: [email protected]

Keywords

Connectivity
Distance
Distributed Work
Organizational Change
Telework

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Communication
Language and Linguistics

Access to Document

10.1080/00909880903483599

Cite this

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

Abstract

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Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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