The IT Artifact and Telecommuting

Research on the concept of telecommuting or telework, as it is known in various areas of the world, has appeared in information systems (IS) and non-IS publications for more than 20 years. Research areas with respect to telecommuting are quite varied, from Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) use, to transportation, managerial control, work-life issues, and more. A significant number of these studies have taken into account the role of technology in enabling telecommuting. However, recent awareness of the IT artifact issue [1] has raised concerns for some authors, reviewers, and editors as to when the technology component is significant enough to consider some of the telecommuting research as IS research. Others, meanwhile, believe that by definition telecommuting addresses the IT artifact issue, and that this should not be a concern. In this panel, we explore the question of whether the IT artifact is an issue in IS-related telecommuting research by examining topics from multiple and sometimes competing perspectives.