A grounded theory of coordination in remote-first and hybrid software teams

The Future Workplace: Characterizing the Spectrum of Hybrid Work Arrangements for Software Teams

“…Partially dispersed teams in the global and distributed software engineering research are infamous for division into subgroups and accompanying "us vs. them" attitude, reduced team cohesion, increased coordination difficulties, alienation of remoters, and a significantly weaker sense of belonging [15]. The first studies of hybrid and remote-first teams emerging during the forced WFH also bring forward the first reports of coordination problems [8], echoing the pre-pandemic findings.…”

“…Variegated arrangements work best for team-centered forms of collaboration. Like Santos and Ralph, we, too, worry about returning to the pre-agile processes [8]. However, given the positive experiences with fully remote working from home during the pandemic that ensured the level playing field experience for everyone, it is evident that teams that alter work in the office and WFX do not need to be hybrid or partially aligned.…”

“…Hybrid teams are related to distributed teams, but instead of office locations, their members could WFH, a café, or anywhere else. These are Halford's teams consisting of "multiply-located" members working in the office and from home [9] and more recent hybrid teams described by Santos and Ralph as teams in which, on any given day, some team members may be working in a co-located office while others are working remotely [8]. We suggest distinguishing further between the degree of alignment of individual work arrangements in a team.…”

“…We are also familiar with the wellresearched concept of virtual or remote teams, as often temporary formed expert teams with geographically dispersed members. Similarly, distributed teams have been commonplace in global and outsourcing projects as permanent multi-location teams with members working from different geographically distant offices of the same or different cooperating companies [8].…”

“…The word "hybrid" has become one popular umbrella label attributed to various work-related terms. These days, we often read about hybrid workplaces or hybrid offices [5], hybrid work or working [6,7], as well as hybrid teams [8]. Google Workspace experts define hybrid work as "a spectrum of flexible work arrangements in which an employee's work location and/or hours are not strictly standardized" [6].…”