Rockmannis an associate professor in the School of Management at George Mason University. Using theory on identity, decision-making and social exchange, his research investigates the development and the influence of various types of attachments in organizations.
What are you currently working on?
One paper we already have published is a paper about trust formation. When teams are using e-mail, video, or face-to-face … can they get the information they need to form trust relationships?
What are some takeaways?
When you’re forming teams or forming relationships, there’s no substitute for face-to-face. And second, that video is a good substitute but not a perfect substitute. It’s not a cure-all. Technology is great, but it still definitely has its limitations.
What about e-mail?
E-mail is great for sending out reports. Meetings, when you’re just giving out a report, are a waste of time, but if you need to make a group decision, e-mail tends to be very poor.
How does telecommuting impact relationships?
When organizations start a telecommuting program, they’re worried about the telecommuter ??– keeping them in touch, making sure they’re not watching soap operas at home. [But] there’s a new model of telecommuting — organizations need to start worrying about the people who are essentially left behind.
Why? Do they feel slighted?
They’re not given the privilege. They feel, ‘Well, why do these people get to do it and I don’t?’ The second one could be that they do want the opportunity, but they can’t take advantage of it.
So why the disconnect?
I think a lot of people still have this mind-set that the [office] is somewhere where I go, and I see my co-workers there, and increasingly their expectations are not being fulfilled. So now I go to the office and I don’t see anybody all day. We’ve known this for a long time in academia because professors never come into their offices.
– David Sherfinski
