About

Jennifer Gibbs is a Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara, with affiliated appointments in TMP and CITS. Her research focuses on collaboration in global teams and other remote, distributed, and hybrid work arrangements, exploring their implications for the future of work. She examines boundary management and well-being in global and remote work, concertive control in online communities, and the role of artificial intelligence in organizational transformation. Her work draws on both qualitative and quantitative methods and takes a field-based, constitutive approach to understanding organizing processes and technological affordances. Professor Gibbs has published extensively in leading journals across various disciplines, including Administrative Science Quarterly, American Behavioral Scientist, Communication Research, and others. She has authored two books, 'Organizing Inclusion' and 'Distracted: Staying Connected without Losing Focus.' She has served as an editor for Communication Research and as an associate editor for Management Communication Quarterly, along with editorial board memberships for other top-tier communication and management journals. She teaches courses in Organizational Communication, Communication Technology, and Qualitative Research at both undergraduate and graduate levels.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Sociology
• Social Science
• Political Science
• Engineering
• Artificial Intelligence
• Knowledge management
• Epistemology
• Social psychology
• Mechanical engineering
• Psychology
• Law
• Public relations
• Cognitive psychology
• Engineering ethics
• Geography
• Human–computer interaction
• Economic geography

Selected publications

• Constant Connectivity in Global Work: Understanding the Role of Technological, Social and Individual Pressures to Connect

  Proceedings of the ... Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences/Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences · 2025-01-01

  articleOpen access

  Constant connectivity is often viewed as an inherent by-product of contemporary workplaces. However, the ways in which connectivity behaviors differ due to individual and contextual differences in global work are not properly understood, which could hamper the coordination and performance of global organizations. Drawing on a sample of global workers (N=976) in a large logistics company, this study examines the role of global work characteristics – i.e., temporal dispersion, geographical dispersion, and national diversity – on three pressures – i.e., technological, social, and individual – that drive constant connectivity. The findings provide a more granular and contextual understanding of the drivers of constant connectivity in global work. We demonstrate that these pressures relate differently to connectivity behaviors across three global regions – i.e., North America, Europe, and Asia.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Not all distance is alike: revisiting the associations between physical and perceived proximity in multilocational work

  Journal of Vocational Behavior · 2025-05-13

  articleOpen access

  The relation between distance and perceived proximity within multilocational work has been subject to mixed empirical support. The massive shift toward remote work and technology-mediated communication gives renewed urgency to the need to understand the association between distance and proximity. This study utilizes multi-sourced two-wave data to examine different conceptualizations of distance and its consequential effects on perceived proximity through communication, work practices, and worker engagement. The findings suggest that configural dispersion (i.e., the percentage of dispersed colleagues) may be a more meaningful predictor of work experiences and practices than time distance (i.e., time zone differences between colleagues) and physical distance (i.e., miles apart). The findings also challenge the theorized reciprocal association between perceived proximity and communicative behaviors, suggesting perceived proximity is a distal outcome of, rather than an antecedent to, communication and engagement. The findings underscore the role of engagement and social communication in enhancing perceived proximity. In contrast, task-related communication and supplemental work practices deter perceptions of proximity to others. This investigation not only updates existing knowledge but also contributes a more comprehensive understanding of the spatial and temporal demands in multilocational work settings.

  PublisherDOI

• Rethinking Isolation: Exploring its Multi-Dimensional Impacts on Workers and Organizations

  Academy of Management Proceedings · 2025-07-01

  article

  Concerns about work isolation have become prevalent as more employees perform work away from their co-workers, whether from home, a coworking space, or a company office with co-workers in different locations. Remote and hybrid work complicates the notion of isolation, which may take on various dimensions – physical, social, or professional– that may or may not be aligned with one another. Isolation is often considered to be detrimental for workers and organizations, as it can hinder knowledge transfer, organizational identification, and commitment and lead to loneliness. However, it may also benefit certain groups, e.g., experts, digital nomads, those with family responsibilities, and marginalized groups, as it allows them greater flexibility and autonomy. This symposium brings a multidisciplinary perspective to explore how organizations can strategically design remote and hybrid work to balance autonomy, connection, and knowledge sharing. By addressing isolation’s complex effects, this symposium aims to inform workplace designs that accommodate diverse employee needs in today’s evolving work environments. Isolation in Remote and Hybrid Work: A Conceptual Review Author: Julia Eisenberg; Pace University Author: Jennifer Gibbs; University of California Santa Barbara Author: Elisa Mattarelli; San Jose State University Author: Anu Sivunen; University of Jyväskylä Is My Remote Employee Isolated? Shaping Supervisor Perceptions of Teleworker Isolation Author: Timothy Golden; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Author: Daniel Esteban Ferreira; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Breaking Isolation: Social Experiences of Newcomers in Hybrid Work Author: Liisa Makela; University of Vaasa Author: Jussi Tanskanen; University of Vaasa Author: Samu Kemppinen; University of Vaasa Author: Laura Ilona Urrila; University of Vaasa Author: Aija Siiriäinen; University of Vaasa Where Is Everyone Else? Coworker Onsite Presence and the Hybrid Work Experience Author: Salvatore J. Affinito; New York University Author: Leslie Perlow; Harvard Business School

  PublisherDOI

• Globalization and Organizational Communication

  2025-09-08

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding

  Organizational Communication scholars have been actively studying Globalization and its implications for communication and organizing processes for the past three decades. This chapter traces the evolving research on global organizational communication using a framework of dialectical tensions to both map out and attempt to juxtapose and illuminate connections between diverse perspectives in terms of three main tensions: ontological, epistemological, and axiological. First, the chapter defines globalization and situates it as a complex, multidimensional, and uneven process. Second, we discuss ontological tensions (transformationalist vs. skeptical, totalizing vs. particularistic), epistemological tensions (micro vs. macro, foreground vs. background), and axiological tensions (force for good vs. evil, plural vs. imperial). Finally, we discuss varying treatment of communication and organization in this interdisciplinary literature. The chapter ends with a call for communication scholars to better conceptualize the intricate nuances of interrelated phenomena that are often studied separately by placing competing views into dialogue with one another. Taking a tensional framing can help to integrate the field of global Organizational Communication and provide conceptual tools to help advance scholarship in this area.

  PublisherDOI

• Collecting Digital Data in Qualitative Organizational Communication Research

  2024-01-01

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Behind the screen: The perception–reality gap in cybersexual harassment between remote coworkers

  New Media & Society · 2024-10-15 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  This study examines the perception–reality gap regarding the influence of technological affordances on cybersexual harassment (CSH) between remote workers. While previous research has recognized the existence of gender stereotypes and discrimination in online spaces, little attention has been given to how technological affordances impact—or are perceived to impact—incidents of CSH. By employing a theoretical framework of technological affordances, this study reveals that users often perceive affordances differently from how they utilize them, indicating a misalignment between perception and behavior. Our analysis of interviews with 30 remote knowledge workers extends affordances theory by showing that affordances are not always applied in the ways they are perceived, and that power dynamics and structural inequalities outweigh technological affordances in shaping reporting behaviors. Addressing this perception–reality gap is crucial for developing interventions and policies that accurately reflect the realities of CSH experiences and promote a safe online work environment.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Bridging the Gap: Revisiting Dynamics of Physical and Perceived Proximity in Multilocational Work

  Academy of Management Proceedings · 2024-07-09

  article

  The role of objective distance and perceived proximity within the domain of multilocational work has been subject to ambiguity and mixed empirical support. This paper revisits these constructs through the lens of contemporary work practices, in light of the shift towards remote work and technology-mediated communication. Utilizing multi-sourced, longitudinal data, our study provides a nuanced exploration of how distance can be operationalized and what are its consequential effects on communication, work practices, and worker engagement. Specifically, we suggest that the percentage of dispersed colleagues (configuration) and time zone differences may be more meaningful predictors of work experiences and practices than the geographic measure of 'as the crow flies' miles. Our findings also challenge the assumed reciprocal relationship between perceived proximity and communicative behaviors. We posit that perceived proximity is better positioned as a distal outcome than as an antecedent to these dynamics. The paper delineates the implications of distance as a contemporary workplace demand, refining and reconceptualizing it as a challenge rather than a hindrance. Furthermore, the findings underscore the role of engagement and social communication in enhancing perceived proximity. In contrast, task-related communication and supplemental work practices appear to mitigate the perception of proximity to others. This investigation not only updates existing knowledge but also contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the spatial and temporal demands in multilocational work settings.

  PublisherDOI

• The Social Construction of Equity in Global Offshoring Arrangements

  Academy of Management Proceedings · 2023-07-24

  article1st authorCorresponding

  This study examines the differing ways in which perceptions of equity and justice are constructed among global contractors involved in global outsourcing arrangements. A comparative case study of two global software organizations involved in offshore outsourcing reveals that global contractors across sites constructed different equity perceptions of similar foreign assignments. Drawing on theory on equity and organizational justice, we find that moving onsite activated the role of temporary contractor, but that this took on different meanings as global contractors from one site felt stigmatized as “second-class citizens” while those at the other site felt empowered as “free agents”. Our emergent model suggests that the construction of different equity perceptions can be explained by an interplay of social and structural factors arising from both the outsourcing model and social interactions onsite. The findings have implications for global work design more broadly.

  PublisherDOI

• Managing collapsed boundaries in global work

  Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication · 2023 · 9 citations

  • Sociology
  • Computer Science
  • Sociology

  Abstract Global workers have long contended with the challenges of working across geographical, temporal, and cultural boundaries enabled by communication technologies. However, the global work research has rarely intersected with the literature on work–home boundary management—which has been brought to the forefront due to the forced move to remote work during the Covid-19 pandemic. Drawing on a qualitative field study of 55 in-depth interviews with global workers from a large organization headquartered in the Nordics, we found that global workers drew on sociomaterial affordances to manage both global work and work–home boundaries through strategies of boundary support and boundary collapse. Although the shift to remote work created challenges due to boundary collapse, it presented new spatiotemporal affordances that led to unexpected benefits for both global work and work–life boundary management. The findings have implications for global work, remote work, and the future of work more broadly.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• “AI Am Here to Represent You”: Understanding How Institutional Logics Shape Attitudes Toward Intelligent Technologies in Legal Work

  Management Communication Quarterly · 2023 · 18 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Sociology
  • Political Science
  • Sociology

  The implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in work is increasingly common across industries and professions. This study explores professional discourse around perceptions and use of intelligent technologies in the legal industry. Drawing on institutional theory, we conducted 30 semi-structured interviews with legal professionals and semi-professionals in varying roles including lawyers, law librarians, legal staff (paralegals, document clerks), and law students. Their discursive accounts provided evidence for three institutional logics—expertise, accessibility, and efficiency—that guided their understanding and use of AI. Our analysis further revealed that legal professionals and semi-professionals held contradictory attitudes towards intelligent technologies and invoked contradictory institutional logics. These findings contribute to theory on institutional logics and digital transformation, providing insights into how occupational roles and institutional logics shape professionals’ discursive construction of intelligent technologies, and how discursive tensions are redefining professional boundaries and contributing to institutional change in knowledge-intensive work.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Julia Eisenberg

  Pace University

  8 shared

• Kenneth L. Kraemer

  University of California, Irvine

  6 shared

• Nicole B. Ellison

  6 shared

• Bradford S. Bell

  Cornell University

  5 shared

• Sumita Raghuram

  San Jose State University

  5 shared

• Craig R. Scott

  5 shared

• N. Sharon Hill

  George Washington University

  5 shared

• Likoebe M. Maruping

  5 shared

Education

• MA and PhD in Communication, Communication

  University of Southern California

  2002

• BA in Philosophy

  Pomona College

  1992