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Unintended consequences of collocation: using agent-based modeling to untangle effects of communication delay and in-group favor

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Abstract

In studies about office arrangements that have individuals working from remote locations, researchers usually hypothesize advantages for collocators and disadvantages for remote workers. However, empirical findings have not shown consistent support for the hypothesis. We suspect that there are unintended consequences of collocation, which can offset well-recognized advantages of being collocated. To explain these unintended consequences, we developed a multi-agent model to complement our laboratory-based experiment. In the lab, collocated subjects did not perform better than the remote even though collocators had faster communication channels and in-group favor towards each other. Results from the multi-agent simulation suggested that in-group favoritism among collocators caused them to ignore some important resource exchange opportunities with remote individuals. Meanwhile, communication delay of remote subjects protected them from some falsely biased perception of resource availability. The two unintended consequences could offset the advantage of being collocated and diminish performance differences between collocators and remote workers. Results of this study help researchers and practitioners recognize the hidden costs of being collocated. They also demonstrate the value of coupling lab experiments with multi-agent simulation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Price College of Business, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, 73019, USA

    Ning Nan

  2. School of Public Affairs, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA

    Erik W. Johnston

  3. Ross School of Business, School of Information, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Judith S. Olson

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  1. Ning Nan
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  2. Erik W. Johnston
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  3. Judith S. Olson
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Correspondence to Ning Nan.

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Nan, N., Johnston, E.W. & Olson, J.S. Unintended consequences of collocation: using agent-based modeling to untangle effects of communication delay and in-group favor. Comput Math Organiz Theor 14, 57–83 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10588-008-9024-4

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