Telework and Social Change: How Technology Is Reshaping the Boundaries between Home and Work

As technology comes to permeate every aspect of work, it liberates organizations and their employees from the physical boundaries of the workplace, and yet amplifies many of the interpersonal and cultural challenges inherent to corporate life. Drawing from an in-depth study of two dynamic organizations, along with extensive research on technology and organizational behavior, Nicole Ellison explores the subtle and powerful ways that distance working influences management effectiveness, worker productivity, and such intangible elements as social cohesion and trust.

Featuring interviews with executives, managers, and employees, Telework and Social Change illuminates the ways in which access to always-on information and communications technologies-which allow people to work from virtually anywhere-influence their work styles, interactions with colleagues and supervisors, and the ways in which they define the boundaries between work and home. Offering insights for future research and practice, Telework and Social Change provides a multi-dimensional perspective on the evolving relationships among technology, geography, and the structural and cultural aspects of work in the digital age.