Coordinating high-interdependency tasks in asymmetric distributed teams

Authors:
Petra Saskia Bayerl;Kristina Lauche
Affiliations:
Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands;Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
Venue:
Proceedings of the 2008 ACM conference on Computer supported cooperative work
Year:
2008

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Abstract

Teams working on highly interdependent yet geographically distributed tasks need to closely coordinate their activities across distances. This field study in the upstream oil and gas industry illustrates that apart from geographical distribution, the onshore and offshore teams are confronted by considerable challenges due to asymmetries in tasks related, demographic, and cultural attributes. While with the industrywide move towards real-time data and video communication physical distances have become easier to bridge, other asymmetries still require attention. Using semi-structured interviews and observations, coordination requirements between subgroups, interdependencies, and task-specific asymmetries were identified. Implications for media requirements to support distributed asymmetric teams are discussed.