Skill Building for Virtual Teams

Virtual Teams ◽

Virtual Team ◽

Team Members ◽

Skill Building

Advances in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are creating new opportunities for organizations to build and manage virtual teams. Such teams are composed of employees with unique skills, located a distance from each other, who must collaborate to accomplish important organizational tasks. As such, it is very important for organizations to identify and develop skills that critical for virtual teams to succeed. Participation in and management of virtual teams comes with its own unique challenges and opportunities. This chapter explores virtual teams, their benefits and challenges to organizations, and provide ways to ensure that virtual team members and leaders in their organizations have the skills, competencies and tools needed to succeed. Specific recommendations to improve skills of virtual teams are also provided.

The Strategic Use of "Distance" Among Virtual Team Members

Virtual and Collaborative Teams ◽

10.4018/978-1-59140-204-6.ch009 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 156-173 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Paul M. Leonardi ◽

Michele Jackson ◽

Natalie Marsh

Keyword(s):

Virtual Teams ◽

Virtual Team ◽

Team Work ◽

Work Practices ◽

Team Members ◽

Multidimensional Construct ◽

Communication Practices

Distance, in the context of virtual teams, has traditionally been treated as an unproblematic, in fact positive, by-product of work practices mediated by information and communication technologies. Research has largely overlooked the notion of distance and its relationship to virtual team work practices and digital telecommunications technologies. Explored in this chapter is the nature of distance by investigating perceptions of “distance” among teleworkers and addressing how virtual team members strategically use the distance enabled by telecommunications technologies to manage a variety of organizational practices. Interviews with 46 distance workers across 10 industries, making up 17 virtual teams, found that members conceptualize distance across three important dimensions: distance and emotion, distance and identity, and distance and communication strategies. We discuss each of these dimensions and propose moving from a notion of distance as a mere outcome of the use of information and communication technologies, to a reconceptualization of it as a multidimensional construct created and maintained through communication practices.

Organizing Across Distances

Information Communication Technologies and Emerging Business Strategies ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-234-3.ch013 ◽

2007 ◽

pp. 238-256

Author(s):

Kris M. Markman

Keyword(s):

Virtual Teams ◽

Virtual Team ◽

Structural Features ◽

Team Meetings ◽

Geographically Dispersed ◽

Research Findings ◽

Virtual Meetings

This chapter examines the use of computer chat technologies for virtual team meetings. The use of geographically dispersed (i.e., virtual) teams is a growing phenomenon in modern organizations. Although a variety of information and communication technologies (ICTs) have been used to conduct virtual team meetings, one technology, synchronous computer chat, has not been exploited to its fullest potential. This chapter discusses some of research findings related to effective virtual teams and examines some structural features of chat as they relate to virtual meetings. Based on these characteristics, I offer tips for using chat as an effective tool for distant collaboration.

Adoption of Information and Communication Technologies in Textile Virtual Collaboration

Research Journal of Textile and Apparel ◽

10.1108/rjta-18-03-2014-b001 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

Siyan Fang ◽

Chester K.M. To ◽

Zhiming Zhang ◽

Jimmy M.T. Chang

Keyword(s):

Virtual Teams ◽

Virtual Team ◽

Critical Issue ◽

Ease Of Use ◽

Remote Collaboration ◽

Virtual Collaboration ◽

Apparel Companies

Modern organizations face more and more challenges in today's globalizing markets. Many textile firms operate collaboratively as a globally-networked virtual team to sustain their competitiveness. How to select and utilize a diversity of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to facilitate collaboration among these textile virtual teams is a critical issue to these enterprises. This paper explores the criteria of ICT adoption in collaboration processes from both theoretical and practical perspectives. First, ICTs theories of telecommunications are reviewed to conclude background knowledge and examine contextual requirements for ICTs. We find that the conveyance of social cues, the ability of fostering member involvement and coordinating interruptions, and the user-friendly interface of communication technology are crucial to the remote collaboration among textile firms. Second, empirical in-depth interviews with 20 practitioners in textile and apparel companies are conducted. Then, combining the findings, we discuss the features of primary ICTs adopted in practice at present. We recommend six essential facets in ICTs adoption during textile virtual team communication (i.e. synchronicity, medium richness, connectedness, disruptiveness, ease of use, and cost). We also suggest how these ICTs can be deployed in line with organizational and individual factors to facilitate textile virtual collaboration.

Relationship Building and the use of ICT in Boundary-Crossing Virtual Teams: A Facilitator's Perspective

Journal of Information Technology ◽

10.1080/02683960110100391 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. 205-220 ◽

Cited By ~ 72

Author(s):

David J. Pauleen ◽

Pak Yoong

Keyword(s):

Virtual Teams ◽

Organizational Support ◽

Virtual Team ◽

Relationship Building ◽

Boundary Crossing ◽

Working Relationships ◽

Training Experience ◽

Team Members ◽

Information And Communication

Global virtual teams are playing an increasingly important role in international business by offering organizations the opportunity for reaching beyond traditional boundaries. However, their use has outpaced our understanding of their dynamics and unique characteristics. For example, global, multicultural, interorganizational, virtual teams and the effective use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) present real and compelling challenges to facilitators, but they also present teams with unparalleled opportunities for expanding on perspectives, approaches and ideas. However, crossing organizational, cultural and time and distance boundaries requires training, experience and organizational support. While research shows that the development of personal relationships between virtual team members is an important factor in effective working relationships, little research has been conducted on the effects of crossing organizational, cultural and time and distance boundaries on relationship building in virtual teams. This paper reports on a field study of New Zealand-based virtual team facilitators working with boundary-spanning virtual teams. From a facilitator's perspective, boundary-crossing issues (organizational, cultural, language and time and distance) can affect relationship building in many important ways. For instance, facilitators found that organizational boundary crossing was affected by differing organizational cultures and policies, while working across cultures required awareness and adjustment in relationship-building expectations and strategies. Crossing time and distance barriers necessitated the skilful use of synchronous and asynchronous ICTs and communication channels. These findings will be explored and the implications for practice and research will also be discussed.

Leading Information and Communication Technologies for Smart Manufacturing: Facing the New Challenges and Opportunities of the 4th Industrial Revolution

Proceedings of the IEEE ◽

10.1109/jproc.2021.3064103 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 109 (4) ◽

pp. 320-325

Author(s):

Santa Di Cataldo ◽

Sukhan Lee ◽

Enrico Macii ◽

Birgit Vogel-Heuser

Keyword(s):

Industrial Revolution ◽

Smart Manufacturing ◽

New Challenges

The digitization of working life: Challenges and opportunities

Psihologia Resurselor Umane ◽

10.24837/pru.v18i1.457 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 3-6

Author(s):

Ana-Maria Cazan

Keyword(s):

Business Performance ◽

Working Life ◽

Employee Productivity ◽

Life Challenges ◽

Essential Components ◽

Worker Autonomy

In recent years, the role of technology in working life has increased. Technology and digitalization play a crucial role in the developmentof the organizations and the entire societies. The ascendance of digital organizations has also become a widely researched topic, the digital workplace environmentbeing an important organizational asset for increasing employee productivity (Köffer, 2015). Digitalization creates changes in the world of work, impacting not only business performance and worker productivity, but also job satisfaction, work/life balance, worker autonomy and monitoring across hierarchical levels. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in particular are essential components of working andimportant working tools (Korunka&Vartiainen, 2017).

Advances in Human Resources Management and Organizational Development - Collaborative Communication Processes and Decision Making in Organizations ◽

Promoting Critical Thinking in Virtual Teams

10.4018/978-1-4666-4478-6.ch011 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 201-215 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Helena Heizmann

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Critical Thinking ◽

Virtual Teams ◽

Communication Behaviors ◽

Dialogic Learning ◽

Effective Decision ◽

Effective Decision Making

Effective decision-making in a virtual environment is becoming increasingly important as more and more organizations introduce virtual teams into their global businesses. Critical thinking is a reflective practice that has been suggested to enhance the quality of group decision-making in organizations (Natale & Ricci, 2006). However, little is known about the value of critical thinking in a virtual team environment and the ways in which it can be promoted. This chapter provides a conceptual model of informed decision-making based on critical thinking. It further outlines how critical thinking can be promoted in virtual teams through an active shift towards a dialogic learning culture, constituted by collaborative communication behaviors, authentic leadership, and the use of social Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).

Ambient Urbanities as the Intersection Between the IoT and the IoP in Smart Cities - Advances in Civil and Industrial Engineering ◽

New Urban Layers and Spaces

10.4018/978-1-5225-7882-6.ch003 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 72-103

Keyword(s):

Smart Cities ◽

Research Literature ◽

The Internet ◽

Study Approach ◽

Multiple Domains

This chapter explores infrastructures, experiences, and interactions in relation to emerging urban layers and spaces for engagement in the city. The purpose of this chapter is to shed light on the digital layers enabled by information and communication technologies, the internet of things, the internet of people, and other emerging technologies to complement and extend existing urban infrastructural layers. The research literature for infrastructures, experiences, and interactions is explored in this chapter in the context of smart cities, enabling identification of issues, controversies, and problems. Using an exploratory case study approach, solutions and recommendations are advanced. This chapter makes a contribution to 1) the research literature across multiple domains, 2) the identification of challenges and opportunities for research and practice relating to emerging urban layers and spaces going forward, and 3) the extending of existing understandings of urbanity to incorporate digital layers and spaces enabling connected, contextual, and continuous engagement.

Progress and Prospects for Estonian Libraries

World Libraries on the Information Superhighway ◽

10.4018/978-1-878289-66-7.ch014 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 221-237 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sirje Virkus

Keyword(s):

Information And Communication Technology ◽

Communication Technology ◽

Rapid Development ◽

Library Services ◽

The Past ◽

New Challenges

The rapid development of information and communication technology (ICT) over the past decades has created new challenges and opportunities for libraries and librarians. As a result of ICT, library services to users have changed, the management of libraries has evolved and the roles of librarians have multiplied. The new millennium presents new opportunities to exploit an ever-growing array of information and communication technologies in the provision of library services. As one millennium draws to a close and a new one begins, there are a lot of questions to answer: