Paving the Way for Interpersonal Collaboration in Telework: The Moderating Role of Organizational Goal Clarity in the Public Workplace

Abstract

One aspect of telework that has been underresearched is the effect of telework on interpersonal collaboration. Relatively little is known about how employees collaborate when they telework. Drawing on boundary theory and goal setting theory, we examined the impact of telework participation on three types of interpersonal collaboration (horizontal, vertical, and inter-work unit) and then tested the role of organizational goal clarity as a potential moderator in strengthening or weakening these relationships. The results of a series of fixed effects regression models show that telework participation rates are negatively associated with all three types of interpersonal collaboration. We also found that organizational goal clarity mitigates such negative relationships. Our findings contribute to the growing literature on telework and interpersonal collaboration, focusing on the crucial role of organizational goal clarity.