Telecommuting for a Software Development Firm

Paper Summary:

This study investigates the effect a telecommuting program would have on the creative process in the development of computer software, on the productivity of software development teams and on the organizational commitment of software development employees. The research shows that telecommuting had statistically significant negative effects on two aspects of creativity ? workgroup synergy and exchange of ideas, but has no significant effects on either individual creativity or workgroup creativity. With respect to productivity, the research shows that telecommuting has statistically significant negative effects on two aspects of the productivity dimension ? keeping workgroup members aware of design changes and perceptions of workgroup productivity, but has no significant effects on either keeping workgroup members abreast of project status or an individual?s perception of her or his personal productivity. The conclusion drawn in this paper is that software development firms should not implement telecommuting programs in the absence of intensive research to develop strategies to overcome the problems identified in this study. The study recommends the conduct of further research into the issue of the effects of telecommuting on employee commitment. The paper uses numerous tables.

From the Paper:

"As stated in the proposal for this project, the study investigated three research questions. These three research questions assess the effects of telecommuting on creativity, productivity, and commitment. An experimental design allowed the measurement of the perceptions of the effects on creativity, productivity, and commitment of software developer workgroup members as both on-site workers and as telecommuting workers. Comparing these perceptions through the application of quantitative analysis provided answers to the research questions investigated. The software developer workgroup consisted of 16 members. A data collection instrument administered to the workgroup members following both an on-site project and a telecommuting project provided the data required to assess the research questions. The appendix to this report contains a copy of the data collection instrument. Questions one through four related to the creativity issue, while questions five through eight related to the productivity issue, and questions nine through 12 relate to the commitment issue."

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