Traveling blues: the effect of relocation on partially distributed teams.

This experimental study looks at how relocation affected the collaboration patterns of partially-distributed work groups. Partially distributed teams have part of their membership together in one location and part joining at a distance. These teams have some characteristics of collocated teams, some of distributed (virtual) teams, and some dynamics that are unique. Previous experiments have shown that these teams are vulnerable to in-groups forming between the collocated and distributed members. In this study we switched the locations of some of the members about halfway through the experiment to see what effect it would have on these ingroups. People who changed from being isolated 'telecommuters' to collocators very quickly formed new collaborative relationships. People who were moved out of a collocated room had more trouble adjusting, and tried unsuccessfully to maintain previous ties. Overall, collocation was a more powerful determiner of collaboration patterns than previous relationships. Implications and future research are discussed.