CHAMPAIGN, Ill., June 16 (UPI) -- Communicating electronically gets the job done, but often undermines trust in the workplace, a University of Illinois study has found.
"Technology has made us more efficient, but much less effective," said Gregory Northcraft, an expert on workplace collaboration, the University of Illinois news bureau reported Wednesday.
By relying on e-mails and video conferencing, "Something is being gained, but something is being lost," he said.
When trust is lost, teamwork goes out the window, he said.
"If I'm not confident other people will do their share of the work, I'm less likely to do my share because I don't want to be taken advantage of," he said. "If everyone takes that attitude, nothing gets done."
Northcraft's study of digital communication and workplace attitudes, done with George Mason University professor Kevin Rockmann, was based on teamwork exercises performed by 200 undergraduate students.
"Face to face, people just have more confidence that others will do what they say they'll do. Over e-mail, they trust each other less," Northcraft said.
