Virtual Teams

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Travis Maynard ◽  
Matti Vartiainen ◽  
Diana Sanchez
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Talent Management ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Team Research ◽  
Current State ◽  
Management Literature ◽  
Continued Use

Given the proliferation of technology developments and the continued use of teams within organizations, it is not surprising to see an increasing use of virtual teams. In response, researchers are more closely examining factors that may affect virtual team performance. There have been several reviews that do a thorough job of providing the current state of the virtual team literature, as well as providing directions for future research in this area. However, within the current chapter, we leverage a framework from the talent-management literature to assess whether certain talent-management-related topics have been adequately considered within the virtual team literature. Within each section of the framework leveraged here, we outline what the virtual team research has discussed, as well as where future opportunities exist. Our contention is that by integrating thoughts from the talent-management literature, additional insights and gaps can be identified within the virtual team literature.

Meta-Analysis Research on Virtual Team Performance

2010 ◽  
pp. 933-943
Author(s):  
Ying-Chieh Liu ◽  
Janice Burn ◽  
Susan Stoney
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Future Research Directions

The results from prior studies on the effectiveness of virtual teams (VTs) are ambiguous and show that few studies have built upon previous findings to build a substantiated body of work. In this article, the authors attempt to remedy this by performing a meta-analysis on VT research. Powell et al.’s (2004) framework of VTs is used as a prototype and twelve variables and their relationships identified as the basis for this study. Twenty empirical studies are identified and used to validate the variables statistically. From this, seven variables are preserved and form the final framework. Future research directions and managerial implications are explained.

Meta-Analysis Research on Virtual Team Performance

2009 ◽  
pp. 1349-1361
Author(s):  
Ying-Chieh Liu ◽  
Janice Burn ◽  
Susan Stoney
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Future Research Directions

The results from prior studies on the effectiveness of virtual teams (VTs) are ambiguous and show that few studies have built upon previous findings to build a substantiated body of work. In this article, the authors attempt to remedy this by performing a meta-analysis on VT research. Powell et al.’s (2004) framework of VTs is used as a prototype and twelve variables and their relationships identified as the basis for this study. Twenty empirical studies are identified and used to validate the variables statistically. From this, seven variables are preserved and form the final framework. Future research directions and managerial implications are explained.

Development of a German-Language Questionnaire to Measure Collective Orientation as an Individual Attitude

2017 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 91-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera Hagemann
Keyword(s):  
Team Performance ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Future Research ◽  
German Language ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Collective Orientation ◽  
Team Research ◽  
German Speaking ◽  
Individual Variables ◽  
The Individual

Abstract. The individual attitudes of every single team member are important for team performance. Studies show that each team member’s collective orientation – that is, propensity to work in a collective manner in team settings – enhances the team’s interdependent teamwork. In the German-speaking countries, there was previously no instrument to measure collective orientation. So, I developed and validated a German-language instrument to measure collective orientation. In three studies (N = 1028), I tested the validity of the instrument in terms of its internal structure and relationships with other variables. The results confirm the reliability and validity of the instrument. The instrument also predicts team performance in terms of interdependent teamwork. I discuss differences in established individual variables in team research and the role of collective orientation in teams. In future research, the instrument can be applied to diagnose teamwork deficiencies and evaluate interventions for developing team members’ collective orientation.

Learning together and working apart: routines for organizational learning in virtual teams

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 138-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Dixon
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Critical Issue ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Information Industry ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Virtual Teaming

Purpose Research suggests that teaming routines facilitate learning in teams. This paper identifies and details how specific teaming routines, implemented in a virtual team, support its continual learning. The study’s focus was to generate authentic and descriptive accounts of the interviewees’ experiences with virtual teaming routines. Design/methodology/approach This case study gathered concrete, practical and context-dependent knowledge about virtual teaming routines in a specific environment. The main source of data was narrative expert interviews with working members of the team. Findings This study illustrates how a mix of face-to-face and virtual routines can ensure organizational learning in virtual teams. Research limitations/implications This case study is limited to one virtual team in the information industry. Future research could build on this research to study virtual teams in other industries. Practical implications This research offers specific examples of teaming routines that managers of virtual teams might adapt in managing their own teams. Social implications Given that the use of virtual teams is a growing phenomenon, understanding how to help those teams learn effectively is a critical issue. Originality/value This case study extends the research on teaming routines to virtual teams.

Improving Virtual Teams through Creativity

2011 ◽  
pp. 1893-1898
Author(s):  
Teresa Torres-Coronas ◽  
Mila Gascó-Hernández
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Definition Of

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.

Gender and Anonymity in Virtual Teams

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Koh ◽  
Na Liu ◽  
John Lim
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Group Performance ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Process Variables ◽  
Team Collaboration ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
Collaboration Process

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.

The Impact of Trust on Virtual Team Effectiveness

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasser A. El-Kassrawy
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Team Effectiveness ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Structural Equations ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Competitive Environments ◽  
Team Satisfaction ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Impact

Given the important role of information technology, virtuality has become crucial issue in contemporary organizations. Virtual teams are comprised of members who are located in more than one physical location. They need to be effectively collaborating to harness their full performance capabilities in order to compete in the highly competitive environments. However, virtual team effectiveness is affected by determinants of trust which include three types; personality, cognitive and institutional-based trust. Therefore, this paper examines the impact of trust determinants on virtual team effectiveness represented in virtual team satisfaction and performance. Through a survey of 125 virtual team members who had experienced at least two years in this field, the results indicated that determinants of trust positively influence virtual team satisfaction and virtual team performance. The authors' structural equations modeling findings also support our hypothetical predictions that personality- based trust, cognitive- based trust and institutional- based trust have a dramatic impact on both of virtual team satisfaction and virtual team performance. Moreover, institutional- based trust is the uppermost driver of virtual team effectiveness. This study provides novel insights into virtual team behaviours, managerial and research implications for effective virtual team.

scholarly journals Team Dispersion and Performance: The Role of Team Communication and Transformational Leadership

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 348-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Eisenberg ◽  
Corinne Post ◽  
Nancy DiTomaso
Keyword(s):  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Team Communication ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Geographic Dispersion ◽  
Highly Dispersed ◽  
Dispersed Teams

Organizations increasingly rely on virtual teams to access geographically dispersed expertise. Yet, team dispersion introduces challenges to team communication that may negatively influence team performance. Using a sample of 53 innovation teams representing a variety of geographic dispersion configurations from completely collocated to highly dispersed, we examined the moderating role of transformational leadership on the relationship between team dispersion, team communication, and team performance. Our findings suggest that while transformational leadership is effective in reducing the negative effects of dispersion in collocated teams or ones with low levels of geographic dispersion, it is less effective helping improve the performance of highly dispersed teams. This effect may be due to a transformational leader’s difficulty in facilitating team communication in highly dispersed teams, where his or her influence might actually have counterproductive effects. We discuss the implications of our findings for theory, future research, and practice.

Sociotechnical Design Factors for Virtual Team Performance

1996 ◽  
Vol 40 (15) ◽  
pp. 786-785
Author(s):  
Arnoldo R. Cano ◽  
Brian M. Kleiner
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Geographically Dispersed ◽  
Sociotechnical Systems Theory ◽  
Sociotechnical Design ◽  
Sound Theory ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Design Factors ◽  
Communication And Information Technology

Recent developments in communication and information technology, coupled with an increased need to coordinate organizational activities across geographically dispersed locations, have led to the development and use of virtual teams. Evidence, most of it anecdotal, points to the benefits that can be obtained from the use of such teams. Unfortunately, a comprehensive understanding of the factors that affect virtual team-based system performance is lacking due to little empirical evidence and sound theory. In this paper, sociotechnical systems theory is used to identify design factors for virtual team performance.

A profile of high-performing global virtual teams

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 169-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helge Lippert ◽  
Victor Dulewicz
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Communication Style ◽  
Cultural Communication ◽  
Research Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Performing ◽  
Cross Cultural Communication

PurposeThere is a paucity of research into high-performing virtual teams. This study aims to design and test a model of virtual team performance and to produce a profile of high-performing teams.Design/methodology/approachThe main constructs found to have influenced virtual team performance in business were trustworthiness, commitment, communication characteristics, cross-cultural communication style and structure effects. New or revised scales to measure these and a new performance measure, based on five performance criteria, were developed. A research model was designed and tested, and a profile of high-performance teams produced. The sample from a global telecoms company comprised 108 global virtual teams. Two senior managers rated performance independently.FindingsHierarchical regression results explained 75.7 per cent of the variance of performance. Analysis of variance revealed that model fit was highly statistically significant. Trustworthiness was identified as the predominant factor, explaining a majority of the dependent variable’s variance, while interpersonal communication, commitment and cross-cultural communication style were also identified as important. The 52 items differentiating high- and low-performing teams are reported and discussed.Originality/valueThe research model makes a contribution to team performance theory and understanding, especially the relative importance of constructs for explaining performance. The profile of high-performing teams adds greatly to our knowledge and provides valuable guidance for team management, selection and development.

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