Conclusions

Change is often disturbing for the corporate world, and technological change is often thought to be a “Frankenstein's monster.” However, teams have been dealing with place and time issues for several decades. The older solution was to relocate employees; newer solutions are more varied, creative, (often) cheaper, and less permanent. There is a strong intuition in the business world that face-to-face communication is necessary for trust, understanding, and enjoyment. However, face-to-face communication in no way ensures higher team productivity—especially in the case of creative teams. Information technology can increase productivity of teams. The skilled manager knows when to use it, which obstacles are likely to crop up when using ...

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