The Time-Zone Challenged Workplace: What We Know & What We Don't Know

For two decades the business and scholarly communities have confounded the shrinking of distance with the eradication of time zone challenges. Essentially, in this narrative, both geographic distance and temporal distance are solved. Furthermore, the myth of “Follow the Sun” has been embraced even as every global knowledge worker must live with the daily contortions of time zone-induced coordination.

Carmel will survey his multi-year research findings (including  follow-the-sun, round-the-clock, timeshifting, zoners, and scattertime). He will present research challenges, and link his research with the New Worlds of Work.

Professor Erran Carmel studies the globalization of technology work. Carmel has researched global teams since the 1990s and recently completed his co-authored book on this topic: I'm Working While They're Sleeping: Time Zone Separation Challenges and Solutions.   He teaches at the Information Technology department, Kogod School of Business at American University (Washington D.C.).  His previous books were Global Software Teams and  Offshoring Information Technology. He has researched hundreds of technology firms in over 20 countries.