An overview of a mind map of the interview results. Go to MindMeister.com to view an interactive (and readable!) version.
Due to the large volume of data points (i.e., sticky notes) prepared during the affinity diagramming sessions, a mind map was created in order to further organize the results. As shown in the mind map, four main branches--or categories--emerged: (1) needs; (2) staying in sync; (3) staying in touch; and, (4) other.
As shown in the mind map, needs were divided further into two subcategories, immediate and secondary. From the interviews it was clear that most individuals were primarily concerned with staying up-to-date and in touch with their project team, and as a consequence were satisfied with their ability to do so. Also, access to information from multiple locations or while on-the-go was a necessary component of mobile work, for many reasons. For example, many talked of checking email while traveling, or accessing relevant documents while at a project site--both activities which illustrate their need to stay in sync while engaging in distance work.
Knowing what was going on within the context of the larger organization was a secondary concern for all of those interviewed--but, it was still critical enough to be classified as a need. For the most part, critical breakdowns occurred at this level. Lack of an effective system for information exchange was a commonly cited problem. Generally, this breakdown was most noticeable at the departmental (or group) level, but individuals also conveyed a sense of frustration over not knowing what was going on within the company as a whole. Available information was either too spare and infrequently updated (e.g., when in the form of monthly newsletters) or distributed over too many channels (e.g., internal websites and databases). Likewise, many admitted to being personally unfamiliar with fellow colleagues who they did not work with on projects--despite the fact that they were affiliated with the same department, and oftentimes fulfilled similar roles for the organization. For the most part, such findings are not surprising. Many of the individuals worked in departments or groups that consisted almost wholly of mobile professionals, thus sharply reducing the amount of time that colleagues were able to interact face-to-face at the corporate or home office base.
Two major branches were devoted to issues related to the concepts of in sync and in touch. However, because it can be argued that the two concepts are highly related, it should not be assumed that these categories are mutually exclusive. Also, because the focus of the interviews primarily dealt with participants’ experiences while staying in sync with distant colleagues, this segment of the mind map is more explicitly defined.
Close examination of the in sync branch reveals a reliance on traditional communication tools by interview participants. For the most part, the mobile workers interviewed reported relying heavily on periodic face-to-face meetings and email or phone when staying up-do-date with their fellow project team members. The third most common form of mediated communication used by mobile workers was teleconferencing. Communication via instant message (IM) was rarely used (2 out of the 10 mentioned using it regularly), however, half of the participants talked about using one’s IM status to know whether the person would likely be available to receive a phone call. Similarly, the regular adoption of other tools, such as the use of a web cam while having an online discussion was low (again, only 2 individuals mentioned reporting the use of this technology with any regularity).
Finally, the other category was used to address the few remaining data points that were thought to affect one’s ability to stay in sync and in touch, but did not specifically fit within the other three major categories (e.g., “travel takes a physical toll”).
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