Collaboration Potential in Virtual Reality (VR) Office Space: Transforming the Workplace of Tomorrow (SpringerBriefs in Business)

The recent shift in labour markets has heightened the demand for alternative work arrangements. Virtual reality (VR) technology plays a significant role in this transition, with remote work as efficient as work performed from an organization's own office space. This book explores the impact of immersive VR technology on the new virtual workspace. Specifically, it examines how VR can enable employees to overcome the distractions associated with working from home, increase their visibility on team projects, build stronger relationships with co-workers, reduce feelings of isolation due to social distancing, and facilitate their engagement in collaborative work processes. It also explores the limitations of two-dimensional, computer-mediated communication tools for flexible working arrangements. It, thus, offers theoretical foundations for future research on office digitalization and subsequent applications of VR technology on office work. It also features the analysis of two dozen problem-centered expert interviews with creators and executives of leading productivity VR tools that enable the remote collaboration between knowledge workers. Foreword Preface Acknowledgements About the Book Contents About the Author List of Abbreviations Chapter 1: Introduction References Chapter 2: Transformative Nature of the Knowledge Workplace 2.1 From Telework, Remote Work to Working from Home 2.2 The (Dis)advantages of the Home Office References Chapter 3: Towards a Digitized Workplace 3.1 The Digitization of the Office Environment 3.2 Virtual Reality as an Alternative to the “Real-Life” Workplace References Chapter 4: The Virtual Reality Workplace 4.1 Methodological Framework 4.2 The Adoption of Virtual Reality in the Context of Work 4.2.1 The Paradigm Shift 4.2.2 Replacing the Real-Life Office Space with Its VR Counterpart 4.3 Productivity and Well-Being in the Virtual Reality Workspace 4.3.1 Productivity and the VR Workspace 4.3.2 Well-Being and the VR Workspace 4.4 Collaboration Capacity of Virtual Reality Workplaces 4.4.1 Obstacles for Users’ Interaction and Collaboration 4.4.2 Human-Centred and Spatial Mechanisms to Support User Interaction and Collaboration References Chapter 5: Concluding Thoughts, Limitations, and Implications for Future Research References