Biography

Priscilla Arling is a Ph.D. candidate in the Information and Decision Sciences (IDSc) department at the Carlson School of Management. She holds a M.B.A. degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems from Virginia Commonwealth University. Priscilla’s work has been presented at the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS), SIM Academic Workshop, Americas Conference on Management Information Systems, the Big Ten IS Research Symposium, and the Loudoun (Virginia) Economic Summit. Priscilla was awarded a University of Minnesota Graduate School Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship in support of her work on virtual teams and performance. Priscilla has accepted an Assistant Professor position at Butler University in Indianapolis, where she will begin work in the fall.

Background: “My academic and research interests have evolved in part from twenty years of work experience in the Information Technology area. After obtaining my B.S. degree, I worked for a number of years as a software developer and project leader for Fortune 500 companies. While I continued to be interested in and fascinated by emerging technology, I grew to have an increasing appreciation for the importance and complexity of the interaction between people and technology. Multiple project implementations taught me that the human and organizational contexts were just as important to successful implementations of technology as the technology itself. I chose to move on to managerial roles in the Information Technology (IT) department in order to better explore the human issues associated with information system development and implementation. My most recent position in industry was as a Relationship Manager, where my group acted as a liaison between the 1000-person IT department and the 6,000 non-IT people in the organization that were in need of information technology services. It was in my role as a manager that I also enjoyed training, teaching, and mentoring staff as well as presenting information about new technology and its applications. It was also during this time that my interest in virtual teamwork grew, as I was located in a remote office with staff and customers located across the country.”

Research Interests: “As a researcher my focus is on strategic issues related to deploying technology in organizations. I am particularly interested in behavioral research with an emphasis on virtual teamwork, collaborative technologies, communication and knowledge management. I am also interested in technology implementation and knowledge management in health care settings.”

Current Research Projects: “My dissertation research melds my areas of interest by considering the impact of distance work and technology use on communication patterns, social capital and ultimately, performance. While growing numbers of knowledge workers perform their jobs offsite or at remote offices, the outcomes of working at a distance are still unclear and managers have few tools with which to assess the impact on their teams. My dissertation study seeks to enhance understanding of this mode of work in two ways. First, by separating the effects of distance and technology use to better understand their influence on social networks, relations and shared team vision. Second, by identifying a process by which practitioners can enhance outcomes associated with distance work. This will be achieved by employing a study methodology that can be used by practitioners to determine the impact of distance work on employee performance. Managers and participants involved in the study have already expressed interest in integrating such a process into their existing practices.
My other on-going research projects include work with the Telework Consortium in Herndon, Virginia. The consortium is a non-profit, federally-funded group that is piloting technologies that assist with distance work. I am also collaborating with the research group of a large hospital to investigate the determinants and outcomes of successful technology implementation.”

General Impressions: "My time at the Carlson School has been a period of incredible personal and intellectual growth. There are so many opportunities to learn from so many sources: taking classes, working on research with faculty, teaching students, and attending workshops and seminars, to name a few. The diversity in people, interests and perspectives has for me, and will continue to be for others, fertile ground for growth."