scholarly journals How It Started, How It’s Going: Why Past Research Does Not Translate to Pandemic Induced Remote Work Realities

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Torres ◽  
Mehmet A. Orhan
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Remote Work ◽  
The Core ◽  
Remote Workers ◽  
Unique Nature

This paper presents a critical evaluation of recently published studies that attempted to remedy the remote work and virtual team complexities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to increasing prevalence of remote work, a diverse set of recommendations was made by summarizing what we know about remote work complexities and how we can combat them. In this piece, we argue that most recommendations being offered fail to serve the needs of leaders of virtual teams and remote workers, as many publications have overlooked the core challenges emerging with the forced nature of working remotely. However, the unique nature of the pandemic poses particular challenges that go beyond previously identified ones. Thus, there is an urgent need to address unidentified obstacles and challenge misplaced recommendations to better equip executives and employees working remotely.

Telework and Remote Work

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matti Vartiainen
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Electronic Devices ◽  
Digital Tools ◽  
Individual Autonomy ◽  
Remote Work ◽  
New Ways Of Working ◽  
Remote Workers ◽  
Personal Devices ◽  
People Today

“Telework” and “remote work” have both increased sharply in recent years during and after the pandemic. The basic difference between telework and remote work is that a teleworker uses personal electronic devices in addition to working physically remotely from a place other than an office or company premises, whereas remote work does not require visits to the main workplace or the use of electronic personal devices. “Mobile tele- and remote workers” use several other places in addition to home for working. “Digital online telework” is a global form of employment that uses online platforms to enable individuals, teams, and organizations to access other individuals or organizations to solve problems or to provide services in exchange for payment. Often tele- and remote workers cowork in virtual teams and projects. The prevalence of various types of tele- and remote working vary. Although there are conceptual challenges to operationalizing the concept, it is estimated that hundreds of millions—and possibly more—people today earn their living working at and from their home or other places using digital tools and platforms. In the future, it is expected that new hybrid modes of working will emerge enabled by digital technologies. These changes in working increase the complexity of job demands because of the increased variety of contextual job characteristics. The main benefits of these new ways of working are organizational flexibility and individual autonomy; at the same time, unclear social relations may increase feelings of isolation and challenge the work-life balance.

scholarly journals Challenges for Romanian Entrepreneurs in Managing Remote Workers

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyu Zhan ◽  
◽  
Delia Mioara Popescu ◽  
Valentin Radu ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Virtual Work ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Remote Work ◽  
Work Processes ◽  
Organizational Boundaries ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Remote Workers

In an increasingly globalized society managing remote work allows entrepreneurs to compete favorably and increase profit. Moreover, with the rapid development of information and electronic media, decentralized work has become much more comfortable, faster, and more efficient in response to the globalization of work processes. Dynamic environments have introduced virtual work teams that collaborate through communication technologies across geographical, temporal, cultural, and organizational boundaries to achieve a common goal in the results of their organizations. Remote working grows in popularity, but with it also increases the need of the organization to demand high performance from their members through their projects and activities. All over the world, statistics showed in 2019 a steep increase in the number of virtual workers. Both managers and companies face a high number of challenges to keep their employees satisfied and their “numbers” up. This article focuses on the emergence of Virtual Teams in Romania, primarily through the real necessity of remote workers. We highly discuss the advantages and disadvantages of working from home for Romanian Entrepreneurs, especially in the current pandemic state of the entire world.

scholarly journals Insights From the Virtual Team Science: Rapid Deployment During COVID-19

2021 ◽  
pp. 001872082199167
Author(s):  
Molly Kilcullen ◽  
Jennifer Feitosa ◽  
Eduardo Salas
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Performance Monitoring ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Remote Work ◽  
Significant Deficit ◽  
Rapid Transition ◽  
Rapid Deployment ◽  
Employee Teams

Objective To provide insights for organizations that must rapidly deploy teams to remote work. Background Modern situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, are rapidly accelerating the need for organizations to move employee teams to virtual environments, sometimes with little to no opportunities to prepare for the transition. It is likely that organizations will continually have to adapt to evolving conditions in the future. Method This review synthesizes the literature from several sources on best practices, lessons learned, and strategies for virtual teams. Information from each article deemed relevant was then extracted and de-identified. Over 64 best practices were independently and blindly coded for relevancy for the swift deployment of virtual teams. Results As a result of this review, tips for virtual teams undergoing rapid transition to remote work were developed. These tips are organized at the organization, team, and individual levels. They are further categorized under six overarching themes: norm setting, performance monitoring, leadership, supportive mechanisms, communication, and flexibility. Conclusion There is a significant deficit in the literature for best practices for virtual teams for the purposes of rapid deployment, leaving it to organizations to subjectively determine what advice to adhere to. This manuscript synthesizes relevant practices and provides insights into effective virtual team rapid deployment.

A Dynamic Perspective on Knowledge Creation in Virtual Teams - In a Search for New Insights

2011 ◽  
pp. 138-152
Author(s):  
Violina Ratcheva
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Complex Interaction ◽  
New Knowledge ◽  
Unique Nature ◽  
Dynamic Perspective ◽  
Knowledge Management Practices

Virtual teams have been defined as teams of self managed knowledge workers, linked by information technology to share skills, costs and access to each other’s markets. The key purpose of such teams is “new knowledge creation,” an in-depth understanding of which can only be developed in the context of the complex interaction processes involved. The focus of this study, therefore, is the dynamics of organising social activities in which knowledge is embedded. The chapter aims to contribute to the debate about the unique nature of the knowledge creation processes in virtual partnerships by offering an integrated view on knowledge management and inter-organisational interaction and communication patterns in virtual teams being a powerful combination for the future of knowledge management practices. The chapter presents an initial conceptual framework of knowledge creation in virtual partnerships, which builds on recent research studies and theoretical developments in virtual team dynamics, knowledge networking and biological phenomenology.

Mobile Collaboration Support for Virtual Teams

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 48-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keng Siau ◽  
Min Ling
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Virtual Collaboration ◽  
Conceptual Foundation ◽  
Work Systems ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Development Teams ◽  
Geographically Distributed ◽  
Qualitative Technique ◽  
Sophisticated Technology

Organizations increasingly depend on virtual teams in which geographically distributed individuals use sophisticated technology to interact and collaborate. With the advancement of mobile and wireless technology, mobile support for collaboration among virtual team members is becoming increasingly important and popular. In this research, we study the values of mobile support for virtual team members. Using the qualitative technique, Value-Focused Thinking approach, proposed by Keeney, we interviewed 30 subjects who were involved in information systems development teams and asked them the values of mobile support for virtual collaboration. This study uses Alter's Work Systems Theory as the conceptual foundation.

scholarly journals Chasing the green buck? Environmental activism in post-communist Baltic States

2016 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 243-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timofey Agarin ◽  
Miķelis Grīviņš
Keyword(s):  
Political Process ◽  
Past Research ◽  
The Political ◽  
Economic Interests ◽  
Economic Resource ◽  
International Networks ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Past ◽  
National Environment ◽  
Collapse Of Communism

The paper investigates the dynamics and volution of issues on the agenda of Baltic environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs) since the collapse of communism. The past research on Baltic environment activism suggests that these enjoy high visibility because they tapped the core societal views of natural environment as a crucial asset of a nation. As we demonstrate in this paper, the changes in agendas of Baltic environmental non-governmental organisations (ENGOs) make clear that the rhetorical toolbox of ‘national environment’ is often used to mainly achieve greater financial gains for individual members, rather than for society at large. We illustrate how the dearth of economic opportunities for domestic public has impacted perceptions of ‘nature’ advocated by the environmental activists, focussing specifically on national perceptions of ownership and the resulting actions appropriating ‘nature’ as a source for economic development, only tangentially attaining environmental outcomes on the way. The vision that the ‘environment’ is an economic resource allowed ENGO activists to cooperate with the domestic policymaking, while tapping international networks and donors for funding. Throughout the past decades they worked to secure their own and their members’ particularistic economic interests and, as we demonstrate, remained disengaged from the political process and failed to develop broader reproach with publics.

scholarly journals The power of individual cultural values in global virtual teams

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Audra I. Mockaitis ◽  
Elizabeth L. Rose ◽  
Peter Zettinig
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Global Teams ◽  
Global Virtual Teams ◽  
Team Processes ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Relationship

This paper investigates the perceptions of members of 43 culturally diverse global virtual teams, with respect to team processes and outcomes. Despite widespread acknowledgement of the challenges presented by cultural differences in the context of global teams, little is known about the effect of these differences on team dynamics in the absence of face-to-face interaction. Using a student-based sample, we study the relationship between global virtual team members’ individualistic and collectivistic orientations and their evaluations of trust, interdependence, communication and information sharing, and conflict during the team task. Our results suggest that a collectivist orientation is associated with more favorable impressions regarding global virtual team processes and that cultural differences are not concealed by virtual means of communication.

A Study Of Strategic Sourcing And Strategic Supporting Of Virtual Teams

2021 ◽  
Vol 86 (2) ◽  
pp. 45-53
Author(s):  
Ajantha Dharmasiri ◽  
G.H. Jayakody
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Strategic Sourcing ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Reported Data ◽  
Depth Interviews

The number of virtual teams has increased in recent years due to globalization of business, advanced information and communication technology and increased need for innovation and competitiveness. In this article, two different virtual team arrangements that are successful in meeting their current competitive needs are reported. Data collected using in-depth interviews were analyzed and several key patterns that support strategic sourcing and strategic supporting emerged. Accordingly, the organization with “virtual teams in an organization (VTO)”structure indicated support for strategic supporting whereas the organization with “Organization as Virtual Teams (OVT)” structure indicated patterns that support strategic sourcing. The authors envisage that there is an opportunity for HRM to leverage on strategic opportunities when overlap of VTO and OVT structures is considered.

Features of the vacation of a remote employee: a note to the accountant of a medical institution

2021 ◽  
pp. 64-73
Author(s):  
V.A. Lebedev ◽  
E.I. Lebedeva
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Medical Institution ◽  
Remote Work ◽  
Employment Contract ◽  
Labor Legislation ◽  
Remote Workers ◽  
The Right

A comparative analysis of the latest changes in labor legislation concerning the implementation of the right to leave by remote workers is carried out. The article considers the legal differentiation of the norms on vacation of remote workers who perform remote work in accordance with the employment contract on a permanent basis, and remote workers who perform remote work temporarily. The complex issues of the application of labor legislation to remote relations and the applied models of vacation regulation are considered; restrictions that cannot worsen the situation of a remote worker, deprive him of constitutional guarantees, or restrict his right to rest.

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.

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