Does virtual team composition matter? Trait and problem-solving configuration effects on team performance

2010 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 363-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ofir Turel ◽  
Yi (Jenny) Zhang
2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 451-466
Author(s):  
Tony Proctor

Purpose This paper aims to consider why creative problem-solving techniques may not always produce useful results and sets out to explain why this might be and what steps should be taken to avoid it happening. The paper provides an understanding of how different creative problem-solving techniques are best suited to gaining insights into problems requiring different degrees of paradigm shift. It argues that team members’ personalities and thinking styles and team composition should be taken into account when using the techniques. It examines the role the facilitator plays in planning and conducting the ideation process. Design/methodology/approach The paper provides simple illustrations of some of the creative problem-solving techniques. It reviews relevant literature and argues how individual differences of team members along with team composition can influence team performance in using the creative problem-solving techniques. Findings Personality, thinking styles and learning styles are relevant to the effective use of creative problem-solving techniques. Team composition, team motivation and mood factors should also be taken into account. The facilitator is key in ensuring the efficacy of the problem-solving process. Originality/value This paper will be helpful to academics who study creative problem-solving as well as informing management practitioners and trainers about the procedures and potential pitfalls to avoid.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 734-764
Author(s):  
Jonathan Bendor ◽  
Scott E. Page

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Abdul Latif ◽  
Jan Vang ◽  
Rebeca Sultana

PurposeVoice role identification and the psychosocial voice barriers represented by implicit voice theories (IVTs) affect lean team members' prosocial voice behavior and thereby lean team performance. This paper investigates how role definition and IVTs influence individual lean team-members' prosocial voice behavior during lean implementation.Design/methodology/approachThis research was conducted in four case readymade garment (RMG) factories in Bangladesh following a mixed-method research approach dominated by a qualitative research methodology. Under the mixed-method design, this research followed multiple research strategies, including intervention-based action research and case studies.FindingsThe findings suggest that voice role perception affects the voice behavior of the individual lean team members. The findings also demonstrate that voice role definition significantly influences individually held implicit voice beliefs in lean teams.Research limitations/implicationsThis research was conducted in four sewing lines in four RMG factories in Bangladesh. There is a need for a cross-sector and cross-country large-scale study that follows the quantitative research methods in different contexts.Practical implicationsThis research contributes to the operations management literature, especially in lean manufacturing, by presenting the difficulties of mobilizing employee voice in lean problem-solving teams. This work provides new knowledge to managers to address challenges and opportunities to ensure decent work and to improve productivity.Originality/valueThis research raises a key issue of employee voice and its influence on lean performance which addresses two critical areas of employee voice behavior in lean teams: team-members' voice role perception and implicit voice beliefs that influence their voice behavior in the workplace, thereby influencing team performance.


Author(s):  
Teresa Torres-Coronas ◽  
Mila Gascó-Hernández

Many studies have already shown how a team can become more creative, and therefore more efficient, but only a few researchers have focused on how a virtual team can use creativity techniques to perform better. In this article, we study what differences there are (both in terms of processes and in terms of results) when creativity techniques are used in the management of traditional and virtual teams. To do this, we discuss three main elements: the definition of creativity and its relationships with team performance, the variables that enhance creativity in a virtual team, and the most suitable creativity techniques for a virtual environment.


Author(s):  
Francesca Vicentini ◽  
Paolo Boccardelli

This chapter seeks to explore what characteristic of human capital at the individual level links to the performance in project-based organizations (PBOs). In particular, we are interested in the enriching of the individual flexibility construct, which has received minimal investigation from the strategic literature. Moreover, the challenges inherent to this topic are arguably more acute in PBOs, where temporary teams are strategically relevant to the success of the performance and individuals need to be more flexible in order to contribute to high levels of project performance. In particular, we support the idea that the flexibility of members enrolled within teams may influence positively the project performance.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Koh ◽  
Na Liu ◽  
John Lim

With the advancement of information and communication technology, virtual teams are becoming more popular as geographical constraints in collaboration have become a non-issue. Features of the technology and characteristics of the group influence interaction processes and outcomes. Two elements are the focus of this paper. The first is anonymity, which has been made feasible by technology. The other concerns gender. Gender is an important research target, and its role in groupwork must not be overlooked. Both elements have aroused much interest across multiple research fields. The existing literature shows their potential in influencing team collaboration processes, satisfaction, and performance. In this paper, the authors present a process-based interpretation of virtual team collaboration, incorporating the anonymity of technology and the gender difference of team members. Using a multiple case study approach, the paper identifies a key set of process variables that shape team performance. The study also examines the interdependencies among the processes. Task-related activity that occurred during team discussion was affected by gender anonymity, and this influenced group performance and members’ satisfaction toward the collaboration process. Group dynamics, including member awareness, leader emergence, and member’s conformity, are salient process variables that affect the virtual team performance as well.


2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 452-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean A. Newman ◽  
Robert C. Ford ◽  
Greg W. Marshall

Based on a study of leader communication effectiveness conducted in a large human resource outsourcing firm, this article reports how virtual team members’ perceptions of their leaders’ effective use of communication tools and techniques affect team performance outcomes. The study also investigates the role that trust plays in moderating the relationship between virtual team members’ perceptions of their leaders’ effective use of communication and team performance. Analysis of 458 responses from 68 teams found a positive relationship between virtual team members’ perceptions of leaders’ effective use of communications and team members’ perception of their team’s performance. The study also found that trust strengthens the relationship between perceived leader communication effectiveness and team performance results. Last, the study also revealed serious organizational alignment issues between what team members perceived to be effective leader communication, their perception of team performance outcomes, and the organizations performance measured by a balanced scorecard.


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