IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/palcom/v11y2024i1d10.1057_s41599-024-02770-7.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Antecedents and consequences of telework during the COVID-19 pandemic: a natural experiment in Japan

Author

Listed:
  • Hiina Domae

    (Kyoto University)

  • Masataka Nakayama

    (Kyoto University)

  • Kosuke Takemura

    (Shiga University)

  • Yasushi Watanabe

    (Kyoto University)

  • Matthias S. Gobel

    (University of Sussex)

  • Yukiko Uchida

    (Kyoto University)

Abstract

Amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic, telework (remote work) has become a widespread practice adopted by companies worldwide. However, Japan has notably maintained a low rate of telework implementation, suggesting cultural factors hindering its adoption. This study aimed to elucidate the antecedents and consequences of teleworking in Japan. Leveraging the natural experiment created by the COVID-19 pandemic, we addressed two key questions: (1) What socio-psychological factors in Japanese workplaces were important for implementing telework in the first place? and (2) How did the implementation of telework subsequently influence socio-psychological factors in these workplaces? Employees from various Japanese companies completed three waves of an online survey before and during the pandemic. Results showed that telework was more likely to be implemented in organizations characterized by a meritocracy. Results also showed that the implementation of telework demonstrated no measurable negative effects but instead increased levels of independence, organizational commitment, and perceived hierarchy mutability.

Suggested Citation

  • Hiina Domae & Masataka Nakayama & Kosuke Takemura & Yasushi Watanabe & Matthias S. Gobel & Yukiko Uchida, 2024. "Antecedents and consequences of telework during the COVID-19 pandemic: a natural experiment in Japan," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-13, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:11:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-024-02770-7
    DOI: 10.1057/s41599-024-02770-7
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41599-024-02770-7
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41599-024-02770-7?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Venkatesh, Viswanath, 2020. "Impacts of COVID-19: A research agenda to support people in their fight," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    2. Okubo, Toshihiro, 2022. "Telework in the spread of COVID-19," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    3. Robert Tibshirani, 2011. "Regression shrinkage and selection via the lasso: a retrospective," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series B, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 73(3), pages 273-282, June.
    4. Mansour Javidan & Robert J House & Peter W Dorfman & Paul J Hanges & Mary Sully de Luque, 2006. "Conceptualizing and measuring cultures and their consequences: a comparative review of GLOBE's and Hofstede's approaches," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 37(6), pages 897-914, November.
    5. Adamovic, Mladen, 2022. "How does employee cultural background influence the effects of telework on job stress? The roles of power distance, individualism, and beliefs about telework," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rosalie L Tung & Günter K Stahl, 2018. "The tortuous evolution of the role of culture in IB research: What we know, what we don’t know, and where we are headed," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 49(9), pages 1167-1189, December.
    2. Shaheer, Noman Ahmed & Li, Sali, 2020. "The CAGE around cyberspace? How digital innovations internationalize in a virtual world," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 35(1).
    3. Lucian Belascu & Alexandra Horobet & Georgiana Vrinceanu & Consuela Popescu, 2021. "Performance Dissimilarities in European Union Manufacturing: The Effect of Ownership and Technological Intensity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-19, September.
    4. Canestrino, Rossella & Ćwiklicki, Marek & Magliocca, Pierpaolo & Pawełek, Barbara, 2020. "Understanding social entrepreneurship: A cultural perspective in business research," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 132-143.
    5. Beugelsdijk, Sjoerd & Slangen, Arjen & Maseland, Robbert & Onrust, Marjolijn, 2014. "The impact of home–host cultural distance on foreign affiliate sales: The moderating role of cultural variation within host countries," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(8), pages 1638-1646.
    6. Alberti, Federica & Mantilla, César, 2020. "Provision of noxious facilities using a market-like mechanism: A simple implementation in the lab," Working papers 35, Red Investigadores de Economía.
    7. Lina Bjerke & Steven Bond-Smith & Philip McCann & Charlotta Mellander, 2025. "Work-from-home, relocation, and shadow effects: Evidence from Sweden," Working Papers 2025-1, University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization, University of Hawaii at Manoa.
    8. Fuentelsaz, Lucio & Garrido, Elisabet & Maicas, Juan P., 2020. "The effect of informal and formal institutions on foreign market entry selection and performance," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(2).
    9. Lazarova, Mila & Peretz, Hilla & Fried, Yitzhak, 2017. "Locals know best? Subsidiary HR autonomy and subsidiary performance," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(1), pages 83-96.
    10. Anastasiia Laskovaia & Galina Shirokova & Michael H. Morris, 2017. "National culture, effectuation, and new venture performance: global evidence from student entrepreneurs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 49(3), pages 687-709, October.
    11. Camila Epprecht & Dominique Guegan & Álvaro Veiga & Joel Correa da Rosa, 2017. "Variable selection and forecasting via automated methods for linear models: LASSO/adaLASSO and Autometrics," Post-Print halshs-00917797, HAL.
    12. Valentina Marano & Steve Sauerwald & Marc Essen, 2022. "The influence of culture on the relationship between women directors and corporate social performance," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(7), pages 1315-1342, September.
    13. Sandro Radovanovic & Boris Delibasic & Milija Suknovic & Dajana Matovic, 2019. "Where will the next ski injury occur? A system for visual and predictive analytics of ski injuries," Operational Research, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 973-992, December.
    14. Peter Martey Addo & Dominique Guegan & Bertrand Hassani, 2018. "Credit Risk Analysis Using Machine and Deep Learning Models," Risks, MDPI, vol. 6(2), pages 1-20, April.
    15. Diana M. Hechavarría & Steven A. Brieger, 2022. "Practice rather than preach: cultural practices and female social entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 58(2), pages 1131-1151, February.
    16. Bradley L Kirkman & Kevin B Lowe & Cristina B Gibson, 2017. "A retrospective on Culture’s Consequences: The 35-year journey," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 48(1), pages 12-29, January.
    17. Erkko Autio & Saurav Pathak & Karl Wennberg, 2013. "Consequences of cultural practices for entrepreneurial behaviors," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 44(4), pages 334-362, May.
    18. Jieun Lee, 2022. "Moral Hazard on Productivity Among Work-From-Home Workers Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic," Papers 2209.05684, arXiv.org.
    19. Zhang, Guike & Gao, Zengan & Dong, June & Mei, Dexiang, 2023. "Machine learning approaches for constructing the national anti-money laundering index," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    20. Golesorkhi, Sougand & Mersland, Roy & Randøy, Trond & Shenkar, Oded, 2019. "The Performance Impact of Informal and Formal Institutional Differences in Cross-Border Alliances," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 104-118.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:11:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-024-02770-7. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.nature.com/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.