Telework adoption and formalisation in organisations from a knowlegde transfer perspective

This study uses a knowledge transfer perspective, focusing both on ‘disruptive’ and ‘commiting’ consequences of teleworking affecting organisational knowledge transfer, to understand variations in the adoption and formalisation of teleworking practices in organisations. It hypothesises the influence of a set of conditions related to the so-called ‘knowledge transfer risk’: constituent characteristics (i.e., the percentage of knowledge workers; the presence of time and spatial flexible work arrangements; and output management), cultural compatibility (flexible organisational culture), and management cognition (managers’ perceived telework attributes relating to productivity; social cohesion; and work-life balance). Hypotheses are tested through a series of multivariate logistic regression analyses. Survey data were collected in 2003 among 407 firms. Our study shows that firms are more likely to integrate teleworking practices in their strategic HR management policies and introduce formal teleworking policies as a long-term investment in (highly-valued) personnel, when the knowledge transfer risk is lower and when they anticipate higher organisational commitment and productivity levels due to teleworking. These findings indicate direction for policy makers that aim to stimulate telework adoption and formalisation of fair telework policies.