Job complexity and learning opportunities: A silver lining in the design of global virtual work

Niina Nurmi () and Pamela J Hinds
Additional contact information
Niina Nurmi: Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Aalto University School of Science
Pamela J Hinds: Center for Work, Technology and Organization, Department of Management Science & Engineering, Stanford University

Journal of International Business Studies, 2016, vol. 47, issue 6, No 2, 654 pages

Abstract: Abstract A vast majority of research on global virtual work focuses on the struggles for workers as they navigate geographic, cultural, language, and time zone differences. Our research suggests that, despite these struggles, global virtual work may offer significant benefits to workers. We interviewed 78 engineers about their experiences of working globally and then surveyed 515 knowledge workers who worked either with globally distributed or exclusively collocated colleagues. Global virtual work was associated with workers’ positive appraisal of the work’s complexity and learning potential, which, in turn, improved innovation, satisfaction, and engagement. These effects, however, relied on workers’ off-job recovery between workdays.

Keywords: global virtual work; global teams; work design; job complexity; learning; work engagement (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1057/jibs.2016.11 Abstract (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:jintbs:v:47:y:2016:i:6:d:10.1057_jibs.2016.11

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer. ... nt/journal/41267/PS2

DOI: 10.1057/jibs.2016.11

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of International Business Studies is currently edited by John Cantwell

More articles in Journal of International Business Studies from Palgrave Macmillan, Academy of International Business
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().