Making rapid shifts in work roles – an essential teamwork skill. An exploratory study of facilitating and inhibiting factors

Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore rapid role shifts at work and to describe the factors that facilitate or inhibit such role shifts, and how these factors affect the employee. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative study was conducted with 12 participants from four public sector organizations. The participants systematically documented their work role shifts over the course of three days. Based on these data, they were interviewed about their shifts in work roles. All data were analyzed thematically. Findings Rapid role shifts do not work without extensive mental preparation and commitment. The role changes were perceived as stimulating if there was clarity about purpose, context and the significance of one’s own role, and if there was time both to switch between different roles and to reflect. Research limitations/implications This study was only performed in public sector organizations, and with a relatively small sample of interviewees. To generalize the results a more comprehensive collection of data would be required, including independence between researchers and subjects. Practical implications Adequate work structures, well-thought-out plans, time set aside for adjustment and reflection, and, not least, well-functioning information technologies are essential to teamwork commitment and satisfaction. As occasional teams, virtual teams and remote work become more common in the future, attention must be paid to rapid work role shifts by governments, policymakers and employers. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first systematic study of the challenges involved in rapid shifts in work roles.