Finding Emergent Collaborative Structures: Wearable Sensors and Advanced Data Analytics

Abstract

Over the last two decades, technology enterprises have continuously shifted the internal design of their R&D operations from bureaucratic structures as a means of facilitating knowledge transfer among employees towards networked, team-based configurations. In their efforts “to make large companies feel small”, these organizations have traded relatively stable, hierarchical functional units for more fluid, non-hierarchical networked teams. In such non-hierarchical settings, mutual adjustment is the primary coordination mechanism and knowledge exchange is primarily realized in emergent rather than planned structures. Despite their practical relevance, little is known about the dynamics of emergent collaborative structures. Recent technological advances have created unprecedented opportunities to study the complex interplay between collaborative dynamics and organizational structure. One such opportunity derives from the ability to capture granular, relational data through low-cost wearable sensor technology. The data streams from these devices can shed light on the periodicity, duration, composition, and operational details of emergent organizational structures.