INNOVATING WORKSPACES: THE EVOLUTION OF DISTRIBUTED WORK FROM TELECOMMUTE TO REMOTE WORK

Work is continually reshaped by innovative technologies and managerial practices. This study employs a bibliometric-based approach to address the conceptual ambiguity in distributed work models research. By analyzing the concepts of remote work, telework and telecommute, our findings indicate that: i. paradigmatic shifts in distributed work models research primarily occur in response to exogenous events, especially consisting of technological advancements and environmental crises; ii. the terminological structure highlighted in the literature is only partially confirmed; iii. while all concepts share a core thematic focus, telecommute is distinctively more concerned with mobility, sustainability and infrastructural technologies. Telework and remote work share a more direct organizational focus, with telework being more human-centric and remote work emphasizing technology-oriented connotations. Thus, telework should be preferentially targeted by research on health, wellbeing and organization behaviors, while remote work should be targeted by research at the interplay between distributed work models, organization design and innovative technologies.