"we Need to Talk!" - Project Teams Dealing with low connectivity

The continuous technological development and the consistent reliance on ICT, has raised the expectations towards ubiquitous connectivity to an extent that technical failures or social disconnects are a serious threat for project teams and their performance, especially when team members are scattered around the world. We analyse hypo-connectivity, the state in which users face too few connectivity to work efficiently, and focus on its impact in project teams. By applying a mixed method approach in the context of an international consulting company, we investigate the two-sided phenomenon of hypoconnectivity and aim to identify the consequences of hypo-connectivity on communication effectiveness and efficiency, as well as the role of connectivity norms in this relationship. Our results show that hypo-connectivity has a negative influence on communication effectiveness and efficiency, which consequently leads to decreased performance, increased frustration and conflicts. However, the establishment of connectivity norms in project teams can ease the effects of hypo-connectivity, sustain the communication flow and balance the negative impact. We conclude that people actually “need to talk” about the dos and don’ts that sustain their communication flow and develop connectivity norms that could help the team circumvent the negative effects of hypo-connectivity.