In a recent publication in Information Systems Journal, SCDI faculty member Aleksandre Asatiani with his colleagues from Finland explore how to overcome challenges associated with socialization and organizational culture in virtual work environments. The paper reports on an action design research study, where a case company, employing a large number of remote workers, designed a ‘living’ culture handbook in an attempt to bring together symbolic and pragmatic aspects of organizational culture. The paper puts forward design principles and recommendations for creating a culture handbook intended to serve as a socialization substitute in virtual work environments.
While remote work allows organisations to offer their employees flexibility and harness global talent and markets for business growth, inability to rely on physical interactions between employees imp…