Review: Distributed Work

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	Issues in Science and Technology   Librarianship
	Fall 2002

	DOI:10.5062/F42Z13G8



      

    Book Reviews
    Distributed Work
      Allison V. Level
  Reference Librarian
  Colorado State University
alevel@manta.colostate.edu        


    

Hinds, Pamela J. and Sara Kiesler. Distributed Work.  Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2002. ISBN 0-262-08305-1.   $50.00.



    This book is a well-organized collection of eighteen chapters on the  impact and nature of distributed work. The study of distributed work  includes understanding the geographic distribution of work, challenges to  the division of labor and managing a dispersed workforce, and research or  scientific collaboration over distances. It is based on papers presented  at an August 2000 conference on the group and organizational aspects of  distributed work. The editors are Pamela J. Hinds, Assistant Professor of  Management, Science and Engineering at Stanford University and Sara  Kiesler Professor of Human Computer Interaction at Carnegie Mellon  University. On first look, this 475-page book could be a bit daunting.   Who has time to read this much and why would you want to? The answer in a  nutshell--engaging topics, great writing, superior editing, and all from a  variety of research and organizational perspectives. The preface gives  the reader an understanding of the environment surrounding distributed  work. The editors discuss a group of scientists and engineers working  together since 1994 on, "a research agenda that would encourage  appropriate technological support for distributed work in teams and better  understanding of the processes of distributed work. In the ensuing years,  technological and economic change, as well as new studies of distributed  work, suggested that distributed work is even more varied and complex than  was envisioned five years ago." The rest of the book is organized into  five sections: History of Distributed Work, Lessons from Collocated Work,  Group Process in Distributed Work, Enabling Distributed Work, and  Distributed Scientific Collaborations. As with any edited volume with a  mixture of authors, you lose the flow that a book by one or two authors  offers. In this case however, excellent individual chapters by authors  with varied backgrounds, research subject interests, and talents reward  the reader instead. 

    With the fax machine, Internet, and cell phones one could guess that  distributed work is a phenomena of recent times. As this book aptly  discusses, this is not the case. The book opens with two chapters on the  historical aspects of work and they give some background and context for  issues that have been a part of distributed work over the years. Chapter  two, "Distributed Work over the Centuries: Trust and Control in the  Hudson's Bay Company, 1670-1826" is a marvelous chapter that includes  insight on company history, organizational culture, trust, and control of  this enduring company.

    The sections on lessons from collocated work, group process, and enabling  distributed work offer insights into everything from fuzzy teams, time  effects in computer-mediated groups, attribution in distributed work  groups, and conflict and coordination of groups. Just because people are  distributed doesn't mean that face-to-face communication is lost or  unimportant. Bonnie A. Nardi, (Information Ecologies: Using Technology  with Heart with Vicki O'Day) and Steve Whittaker provide excellent  examples of the importance of sharing experiences in a common space.

    The Distributed Scientific Collaboration section is a great read for any  science and technology librarian. It features information on what makes  collaborations across a distance succeed and presents success measures and  frustrations of collaboration. Throughout the book, some chapters have  detailed endnotes and all have good references. The index is thorough and  there is at least a paragraph summary about each of the contributors. This  book would be a welcome addition for academic libraries, public libraries  with specialized business collections, or researchers looking for recent  discussions on geographic distribution of work, workplace issues,  communication in management, and teamwork. 

      

  

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