Not Even Remotely Close: How Co-Location Imbalance Affects Subgroup Formation in Hybrid Teams

Handke L, Costa P, Hincapie M, Johnson M (2025)

Publication Type: Journal article, Review article

Publication year: 2025

Journal

Journal of Organizational Behavior Wiley

DOI: 10.1002/job.2875

Abstract

Despite the substantial proliferation of hybrid work, little has been done to reconcile extant individual- and team-level perspectives. This is problematic because it does not acknowledge how individuals' hybrid work practices constrain team-level interactions and subsequent outcomes. Specifically, the extant literature does not yet capture the complex configurations that result from team members alternating between co-located and remote forms of collaboration and how these may provoke the formation of subgroups within the team. In this conceptual paper, we introduce the construct co-location imbalance, which we define as the disparity in co-location between different combinations of team members, as a way of capturing geographic configurations in hybrid teams. Through illustrative hybrid teamwork archetypes, we demonstrate the meaning and implications of co-location imbalance on subgroup formation. We then map out a nomological network surrounding co-location imbalance and derive testable propositions on its temporal dynamics and antecedents. Our paper concludes with a discussion of our research's theoretical and practical contributions and directions to advance future research on hybrid teamwork.

Authors with CRIS profile

Lisa Handke Juniorprofessur für Wirtschaftspsychologie

Involved external institutions

Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL) / Instituto Superior de Ciências do Trabalho e da Empresa PT Portugal (PT) Universidad de los Andes - Colombia CO Colombia (CO) University of Washington US United States (USA) (US)

How to cite

APA:

Handke, L., Costa, P., Hincapie, M., & Johnson, M. (2025). Not Even Remotely Close: How Co-Location Imbalance Affects Subgroup Formation in Hybrid Teams. Journal of Organizational Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2875

MLA:

Handke, Lisa, et al. "Not Even Remotely Close: How Co-Location Imbalance Affects Subgroup Formation in Hybrid Teams." Journal of Organizational Behavior (2025).

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