The Building Blocks for Creativity in Virtual Teams

2011 ◽  
pp. 98-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill Nemiro
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Integrative Model ◽  
Creative Work ◽  
Team Creativity ◽  
The Third

As the popularity of virtual teams continues to rise, those who manage and are part of virtual teams must be aware of how to enhance the effectiveness of and foster creativity in virtual teams. To provide assistance, this chapter presents a model that outlines five building blocks for enhancing and supporting creative work in virtual teams. The five building blocks are—design, climate, resources, norms and protocols, and continual assessment. By building and maintaining each of the five building blocks discussed in this chapter, virtual teams may move to higher levels of creativity and ultimately success. The chapter begins with a review of the relevant literature, including prominent models of virtual team performance, and factors necessary for creativity in teams in general. The second section in the chapter describes the methodology that guided the current research from which the five building blocks model emerged. The third section of the chapter offers a detailed description of each of the five building blocks for creativity in virtual teams. Lastly, an integrative model is proposed which links the five building blocks back to the earlier discussed models of virtual team performance. The chapter closes with a discussion of the current research’s limitations and ideas for future researchers of virtual team creativity.

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.

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.

The space between – linking trust with individual and team performance in virtual teams

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 30-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krista Jaakson ◽  
Anne Reino ◽  
Peter Bernard McClenaghan
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Performance Feedback ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Past Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
New Findings ◽  
And Performance

Purpose Understanding the relationship between performance and trust in virtual teams is receiving significant attention due to “connected” virtual team contexts becoming more prevalent. This paper reports on new findings relating to the dynamics of trust and performance in virtual team contexts. The study aims to explore the evolution of trust and its mediating role in determining the performance of virtual teams, as well as to investigate if and how performance itself affected trust. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a longitudinal quantitative survey of 71 international virtual student teams working in four universities in Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Russia. Findings In line with swift trust and social norms theory, the authors found that relatively high levels of initial trust did not change over the period of the teams’ projects in general, but in teams where feedback on performance was negative, both trust and trustworthiness declined significantly. Trust had a small mediating effect between group performances in two consecutive measurement points, meaning that past performance had an impact on trust, which in turn impacted the teams’ next performance. However, no mediating effect was present between individual and team performance. Practical implications The authors conclude that managing virtual teams should concentrate on team actions and achieving and recognising small quick wins at least as much as dealing with trust, specifically. Negative performance feedback should not deteriorate members’ perception of benevolence and integrity in the team. Originality/value The paper distinguishes the dynamics of two trust components and tests new models with these as partial mediators in determining virtual team performance. Importantly, the authors challenge the notion that emotional component of trust, perceived trustworthiness, is less relevant in virtual teams.

scholarly journals Knowledge sharing in virtual teams: A research in information technology companies in Vietnam

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Huynh Thi Minh Chau ◽  
Nguyen Manh Tuan ◽  
Hang Le Cam Phuong
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Information Technology ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Cognitive Social Capital ◽  
Information Technology Companies ◽  
Structural Social Capital

Nowadays, virtual teams bring both benefits and drawbacks to companies, especially to information technology companies. Improving virtual team performance is a requisite to speed up the development of information technology companies. This article conducts quantitative research on virtual team members in Vietnam’s information technology companies to investigate the relationships between social capital, risk of opportunistic behaviors, knowledge sharing, and team performance in the situation of virtual teams. The study uses SPSS and AMOS to analyze data collected from 268 valid samples. We find out a reliable 15-variable scale which can be used to measure structural social capital, cognitive social capital, rational social capital, risk of opportunistic behaviors, knowledge sharing and virtual team performance. The results show the positive effects of structural social capital and cognitive social capital on knowledge sharing and virtual team performance. The findings also reveal the negative effects of risk of opportunistic behaviors on knowledge sharing and virtual team performance and a positive correlation between knowledge sharing and virtual team performance. This article can be used as a reference for managers to build solutions for improving virtual team performance in information technology companies in Vietnam.

Industry Perspective

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 43-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darleen DeRosa
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Return On Investment ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Travel Costs ◽  
Virtual Teamwork ◽  
Core Practices ◽  
Over Time

Rising travel costs, coupled with the global dispersion of talent, are two of the reasons that organizations have migrated toward virtual teamwork. While numerous organizations have made significant investments in virtual teams and the technology to support them, a surprising number of virtual teams are not reaching their full potential. A new study conducted by OnPoint surveyed 48 virtual teams across industries and found that there are specific practices that are the key ingredients for optimal virtual team performance. If organizations want to maximize their return on investment, they should ensure that these core practices are in place and continually assess the performance of their virtual teams against these factors over time.

Managing in the Time of Virtualness

2010 ◽  
pp. 62-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Traci Carte ◽  
Heather King
Keyword(s):  
Change Management ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Effective Practices ◽  
Team Processes ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Collaborative Technologies ◽  
Communication Practices

Virtual teams are increasingly being utilized by organizations in order to bring together far-flung expertise using collaborative technologies rather than physical relocation. While many organizations have been quick to utilize technology to enable this new virtual team structure they have been slower in recognizing the needed complementary shifts in management practices surrounding such teams. This chapter seeks to offer advice to managers in this new time of “virtualness.” Interviews were conducted with a variety of individuals engaged in virtual team activities asking about communication practices, performance, change management, and leadership. The authors further probed about what technologies were in use by teams and what areas of the team processes could be improved. Finally, they asked the participants to draw distinctions between their views on effective practices of face-to-face teams and effective practices of virtual teams. From this interview data, insights are offered into social and managerial issues that drive virtual team performance.

Virtual Teams as Sociotechnical Systems

2011 ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haydee M. Cuevas ◽  
Stephen M. Fiore ◽  
Eduardo Salas ◽  
Clint A. Bowers
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Sociotechnical Systems ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Group Productivity ◽  
Sociotechnical System ◽  
National Boundaries ◽  
Psychology Literature

In this chapter, we adopt a sociotechnical systems approach to understand the challenges faced by members of an organizational unit that is not constrained by geographical, temporal, organizational, or national boundaries. Specifically, we examine virtual team performance within the context of an open sociotechnical system, highlighting the effects that the technological subsystem (e.g., collaborative information technology) and external environmental factors (e.g., lack of colocation) have on the personnel subsystem (i.e., virtual team members) within the organization. The organizational psychology literature on group productivity, motivation, and shared mental models is reviewed to, first, better understand team performance within the context of distributed environments, and second, offer guidelines and interventions for organizational practice.

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