Defining a Conceptual Framework for Telework Research

Telework is a workplace arrangement in which employees have some degree of flexibility in work location and hours. The term 'Telework' was first coined in the 1970’s to describe situations where information and communication technologies were used to support work activities undertaken away form the traditional officebased workplace. The subsequent three decades have seen many published reports on the issues surrounding Telework adoption and use. However much of this research has only examined the advantages and disadvantages of Telework use and has not adopted broader research perspectives to examine the deeper issues and the roles played by the various affected stakeholder groups. Over the same period, the incidence of Telework has increased significantly. The motivation for this paper is to develop a conceptual model capable of providing clear direction for research into the adoption and use of Telework. We then examine the usefulness of this model by identifying and framing a series of research projects aimed at addressing some of the existing gaps in the literature concerning Telework impacts.

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