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.

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.

Organizational Success and Failure Criteria in Virtual Team Maturity

2018 ◽  
pp. 169-200
Author(s):  
Andrea Keil ◽  
Ralf Friedrich ◽  
Dirk Doppelfeld
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Failure Criteria ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Maturity Model ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Work Habits ◽  
Global Projects ◽  
Effective Assessment

As global projects get more complex, virtual teams are established to bring together experts from different fields and cultures. Challenged by different work habits and communication patterns, these teams need fast and effective assessment of their teamwork to install efficient adjustments. In this chapter, the authors introduce an assessment for virtual teamwork based on the virtual team maturity model (VTMM®). The model focuses on internal team processes necessary to compensate for missing face-to-face communication. The VTMM® model defines meta-processes that help create a highly motivated virtual project team, leading to trust, cohesion, and consequently, an improved team performance. In a case study, the authors examine the effects of an VTMM® assessment and implementation of corresponding measures for improvement on virtual team performance. The outcomes are compared to the results of a recent survey on success and failure in virtual team maturity implementation, where project managers from different backgrounds and experience reported their practical observations.

Virtual Teams and their Search for Creativity

2011 ◽  
pp. 213-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mila Gasco-Hernandez ◽  
Teresa Torres-Coronas
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Definition Of

In this chapter, we examine the differences in processes and results when creativity techniques are used in the management of traditional and virtual teams. To do this, we discuss the following three main elements: the definition of creativity and its relationship with team performance; the variables that enhance creativity in a virtual team; and the most suitable creativity techniques for a virtual environment. We draw two main conclusions. First, creativity can help virtual teams become more effective, and second, not all the methods that foster creativity in a face-to-face context are appropriate in the virtual environment.

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.

Removing Space and Time

2011 ◽  
pp. 14-23
Author(s):  
Christie L. McDaniel
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Communication Barriers ◽  
Team Cohesion ◽  
Team Dynamics ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Managerial Styles ◽  
Geographic Boundaries ◽  
The World

Virtual teams are become more and more popular as the world becomes more connected; furthermore, research is suggesting that virtual teams are as effective as face-to-face teams (Baker, 2002). This chapter compares and contrasts virtual teams with face-to-face teams in order to determine what differences exist as the workplace become virtual. It investigates how relationships between team members change when geographic boundaries are removed and how managers should adjust managerial styles when leading a virtual team. Also, a discussion of team dynamics—including the development of trust, team cohesion, and communication barriers—is included. Tips and techniques for developing an effective team are provided for virtual team managers.

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.

Leapfrogging an IT Sector

2005 ◽  
pp. 1799-1802
Author(s):  
Eileen M. Trauth
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Strategic Alliances ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Information And Communications Technology ◽  
Boundary Crossing ◽  
Building Relationships ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Global Coverage ◽  
Product Launches

How do virtual team leaders assess and respond to boundary crossing issues when building relationships with virtual team members? Virtual teams are a new phenomenon, defined as groups of people working on a common task or project from distributed locations using information and communications technology (ICT). With rapid advances in ICT allowing alternatives to face-to-face communication, virtual teams are playing an increasingly important role in organizations. Due to their global coverage, virtual teams are often assigned critical organizational tasks such as multi-national product launches, negotiating global mergers and acquisitions, and managing strategic alliances (Maznevski & Chudoba, 2000). Their use, however, has outpaced the understanding of their unique dynamics and characteristics (Cramton & Webber, 2000).

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

2005 ◽  
pp. 13-21
Author(s):  
Robert Jones ◽  
Rob Oyung ◽  
Lisa Shade Pace
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Conventional Wisdom ◽  
Golf Course ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Upper Management ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Water Cooler ◽  
Face Time ◽  
The Universe

Conventional wisdom often cites that individuals cannot advance their career without putting in daily face-to-face time with their managers; thus, members of virtual teams are inevitably less successful at career development than their co-located colleagues. Virtual team members lose out on the informal interactions that typically occur in the lunchroom, in the hallway, at the water cooler, and on the golf course; therefore, they are essentially out of sight, out of mind. Furthermore, conventional wisdom postulates, it is impossible to get the attention of upper management without these interactions, and people believe that if you want to advance, you will move to the companies selected “center of the universe” where the largest concentration of employees reside. This chapter will discuss the potential drivers behind the following myths that focus on this potential out-of-sight, out-of-mind dynamic, and will document some of the techniques that we’ve observed that help reduce the potential impact of the reduced face-to-face time that is inevitable with the implementation of virtual teams within an organization.

Cross-Disciplinary Learning in Virtual Teams

2011 ◽  
pp. 78-81
Author(s):  
Scott P. Schaffer ◽  
Therese M. Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Software Development ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
New Product Development ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Knowledge Bases ◽  
High Performing ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Geographically Dispersed ◽  
New Product Development Teams ◽  
Better Than

The prevalence of global software development and new product development teams is on the increase, and such teams face unique challenges (McDonough, Kahnb, & Barczaka, 2001). First, these teams often are comprised of individuals from different disciplines (software engineering, graphic design, instructional design/educational technology). Second, these teams often are required to communicate and share information virtually, since they are geographically dispersed. These challenges make management of such teams difficult, and very little is known about the conditions and factors that impact virtual team performance. While the task of overcoming these challenges is daunting, the benefits that an effective virtual and cross-disciplinary software development team can have are large. Cohen and Gibson (2003) state, “when organizations compose virtual teams with people from different perspectives and knowledge bases, innovation is more likely to occur” (p.8). In addition, the possibility of creating teams that are virtual allows an organization the opportunity to have the best people for a project actually work on the project, regardless of geographic location. Major questions related to the study of such teams include: Do virtual teams perform better, worse or the same as face-to-face teams? What makes one virtual team better than another? Are group dynamics fundamentally different in a virtual group than in a face-to-face group? Warkenton, Sayeed and Hightower (1997) found that face-to-face teams outperformed virtual teams, and the latter were less satisfied with the experience. Advances in asynchronous communication tools since this study may have improved the situation for virtual teams, but the question of what makes one virtual team better than another is intriguing. Ocker and Fjermestad (2000) investigated factors that distinguish high- vs. low-performing virtual teams. High-performing teams communicated more and more widely related to design decisions than did low-performing teams. Such teams summarized and reflected more often on processes and deliverables, and essentially mirrored face-to-face teams. Similar findings were reported by Baker (2002) in a study of the effects of technology on decision-making in such teams. Another key driver of virtual team development and success is the level of cross-disciplinary learning that occurs during the completion of a project. Fruchter and Emery (1999) define cross-disciplinary learning as the individual’s progression from a state dominated by discipline-centric thought to a state in which the individual understands the terminology and processes of another discipline. It is important to investigate how this learning can be supported and assessed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document