Working Together Apart Gary M Olson University of

Working Together Apart Gary M. Olson University of California, Irvine May 2011

This work… n …is done by • • • n Judy Olson Gary Olson Steve Abrams Matthew Bietz Julia Haines …and supported by • • Army Research Institute National Science Foundation Google Donald Bren Foundation

Distance n T. Allen, 1977 30 meters

“Distance Matters” -- Some Overarching Issues n n n n Ease of communication -- common ground Nature of the work -- How tight the coupling Readiness to collaborate Technology readiness -- personal, infrastructure Trust Culture Time Zones

The first concept n The longer the distance between people, the less common ground they have – Definition: what is assumed to be shared between two people who are communicating – If you don’t have natural common ground, you have to work at it, discover what each other knows in common and build from there.

Second key concept n n Tightly coupled work requires collocation Work gets reorganized so that tightly coupled is in one location, loosely coupled crosses locations

Coupling, continued n Coupling -- extent of dependence between team members, and the ambiguity of the work, requiring high degree of interaction – loose • an overall plan divides the work, occasional coordination checks (e. g. , large scale routine design) – moderate • more spontaneous divide and conquer – tight • high mutual dependence for advancing the work (e. g. , early planning of a project)

Third Key Concept n n n Collaboration readiness The community has to have a spirit of collaboration. Motivation to work together: – – – Mix of skills Greater productivity Like working together Something in it for everyone NOT • Mandate from the funder • The only way to get the money • Asymmetries in value, etc.

Collaboration Readiness (Cont. ) n Trust – Reliable – Produce high quality work – Have their best interests at heart n n Goals aligned Group self-efficacy

Fourth key concept n n n n n Different organizations are at different developmental stages in using technology of all sorts Collaboration Technology Readiness (both individual & infrastructure) email attachments using repositories calendaring creating repositories hand-off collaboration synchronous collaboration Need training in technologies AND how to collaborate

Fifth key concept n n Added in J. Olson et al, 2008 Distance work requires good management and decision making principles – Cummings & Kiesler (2005) studied NSF KDI collaborations • Collocated more successful than distributed • Distributed success associated with good mnagement

Management, Planning, and Decision Making n n Management plan Project manager is respected and has project management experience Communication plan Plan has room for reflection and redirection

Management, Planning, and Decision Making n n No legal issues remain No financial issues remain Knowledge management system Decision making is – Free of favoritism – Fair and open – Everyone has opportunity to influence

MIT Press, 2008

“Distance Matters” a decade on n Have things changed? n Much has happened in a decade – A large amount of research on the issues most relevant to distance work – An array of new or improved technologies – Big changes in the experience base of those who might work at a distance

Distance Work will Only Increase n 67% of companies anticipate increased reliance on virtual teams – 80% for companies with 10, 000+ employees n n 35% of respondents rated difficulty of management as top challenge for virtual teams 92% said trust is critical for virtual teams • Survey by Institute for Corporate Productivity

Survey of “Hopeful Signs” n Research or technology developments that might ameliorate some of these challenges n Not all of these are yet backed up with careful evaluation

Common Ground n Routinization of knowledge management – Creative incentive schemes n Awareness support – – Social computing, sharing IM, awareness tools Audio, video options Social proxies

Common Ground n Workers who are always on line – More mobile options

Nature of the Work n Increased realization of need for divide and conquer n Use of face-to-face meetings to kick of a project – Organize the work

Collaboration Readiness n Better understanding of the role of incentives – Explicit contracts with financial incentives n Importance of trust – Interventions to establish & maintain

Collaboration Technology Readiness n Many new widely used technologies – Increased sophistication n Wider array of back channels – IM, SMS, mobile phones

Collaboration Technology Readiness n Technologies better designed – Easy to use – Reliable

Management and Decision Making n Boom market on books, articles on how to manage virtual teams n Recognition of leadership skills for virtual teams

Trust n Promising results on establishing & maintaining trust at a distance – Informal social interaction a key n Better support for awareness, presence – Overcome attribution errors

Culture n More awareness of the nature of cultural differences – E. g. , increased sales of Culture Shock books – New university programs n Job rotation in multinational companies

Time Zones n n n Adjusting work hours Routines for shift changes Exploration of asynchronous awareness tools

Early Progress in Climbing Himalayan Giants n First 8000 meter peak climbed in 1950 – Annapurna n n Everest (8850 meters) first climbed in 1953 Other 12 8000 meter peaks climbed between 1953 and 1964

Characteristics of Early Climbs n Huge logistical support required – Long ascents with numerous camps – Long preparation period n Large climbing parties – Up to a score of climbers – Hundreds of supporters n n n Dominant use of oxygen Climbs confined to spring, early summer Many failures, including fatalities

Since the 1950 s n n n Exploration of many new routes, many that were thought to be “unclimbable” Small parties with rapid ascents Solo ascents Ascents with no oxygen Hundreds of ascents in a given season Still dangerous

What Changed? n Better knowledge of the Himalaya – Maps, aerial surveys – Weather n More experience with climbing – New techniques – Better understanding of physiology n n New, improved equipment But, still very difficult

Analogous to Distance Matters n More knowledge, experience – Organizations – Individuals n Better tools n But still difficult