Developing a Culture of Collaboration among Information Workers: A Game-theoretic approach

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the flaws of the traditional physically co-located office, forcing many organizations to work remotely. Many knowledge workers worked from home on a regular basis during COVID-19, and as a result, the power gap between remote e-workers and their previously on-site colleagues has vanished. To answer our research questions, how does the involuntary working from home requirement due to COVID-19 affect team collaboration and performance, what factors enable the design and implementation of a hybrid way of working in knowledge organizations? and, in volatile and uncertain situations, how does organizational culture influence IT governance performance in global virtual teams in a large organization? we conducted an in-depth organization-wide case study. Using a game-theoretic lens, this study explores the sudden and enforced issues that COVID-19 has presented, and the technological means knowledge workers use to achieve their team collaboration goals. We interviewed 221 knowledge workers and,15 c-suite executives and senior leadership group (SLG) members about their experiences of being required to work from home and its’ various effects on team dynamics and collaborative problem-solving. This paper contributes to the IT Governance theory and IS Resilience theory by providing an understanding of team collaboration during uncertain, volatile situations (COVID-19). This broad-scope overview provides an integrative approach for considering the implications of COVID-19 for work, workers, and organizations while also identifying issues for future research and insights to inform solutions.