| With the increasing regularity of pandemics, global terrorism, and natural disasters, organizations seek strategic solutions that enable business continuity. Telework is one such solution; yet it is all but ignored by organizational decision makers as a viable, strategic option. This doctoral dissertation is composed of four essays that explore potential barriers to organizational telework adoption. The first essay is a quantitative study that reviews and meta-analyzes correlations from empirical studies to find that there is a positive relationship between telework and organizational outcomes. The second essay reviews publicly available reports to confirm the low level of telework adoption at the organizational level, followed by a review of the academic literature to classify the frames of reference captured and perpetuated by research which may be acting as a barrier. The third essay draws upon behavioural economics to empirically test framing effects on the managerial adoption decision. A new, potential barrier is identified as are specific changes to the decision frame that shift adoption preferences. The fourth essay replicates and extends the lab study of essay three, this time in the field with a sample of organizational decision makers. Findings are in line with the original study while extending knowledge through the identification and testing of a new frame of reference that shifts preferences in favour of adoption. |
