Planes, trains, and automobiles: Commuting in the 2020s and beyond

Abstract

In this introduction to the special issue about commuting, we invite readers to consider how this frequently occurring worker activity should be integrated and investigated within the organizational sciences. Commuting is ubiquitous in organizational life. Yet, despite this centrality, it remains one of the most understudied topics in the organizational sciences. This special issue seeks to remedy this oversight by introducing seven articles that review the literature, identify knowledge gaps, theorize through an organization science lens, and provide directions for future research. We introduce these seven articles by discussing how they address three cross-cutting themes (Challenging the Status Quo, Insights into the Commuting Experience, The Future of Commuting). We hope that the work within this special issue informs and inspires organizational scholars to engage in meaningful interdisciplinary research on commuting going forward. Plain Language Summary This special issue aims to encourage readers to consider how commuting research can and should be investigated within the organizational sciences. Commuting is a frequently occurring activity of daily living, but remains one of the most understudied topics in the organizational sciences. This special issue aims to address this issue through seven papers which review the literature, identify knowledge gaps, offer theoretical advancement, and yield future research directions. We introduce these seven articles via the presentation of three cross-cutting themes (Challenging the Status Quo, Insights into the Commuting Experience, The Future of Commuting). Our goal is that this special issue will inform and inspire future organizational science research on commuting.