Managing Relationships in Virtual Team Socialization

The traditional organizational workplace is dramatically changing. An increasing number of organizations are employing workers who are physically and geographically dispersed and electronically dependent on each other to accomplish work (Gibson & Cohen, 2003; Griffith, Sawyer, & Neale, 2003). Recent technological advances, combined with more flexible job design, have helped increase the number of people working in distributed environments. Hence, more employees are working individually and on teams that seldom, if ever, meet face to face. These virtual employees have the same work responsibilities as traditional employees in addition to the challenge of operating within the dynamics of these newly designed mediated workplaces. Rapid developments in communication technology and the increasing influence of globalization and efficiency on organizations have significantly accelerated the growth and importance of virtual teams in contemporary workplaces. Virtual teams are becoming more commonplace because of the possibilities of a more efficient, less expensive, and more productive workplace. Additionally, distributed teams are less difficult to organize temporal organizational members than traditional co-located teams (Larsen & McInerney, 2002; Lurey & Raisinghani, 2001; Piccoli & Ives, 2003). Although there are apparent advantages of organizing work virtually, the challenge for new member integration lies in the fact that team members must communicate primarily through communication technology such as electronic mail, telephone, and videoconferencing or computer conferencing. This increased dependence on technology as a medium of communication significantly alters the way new members are socialized to work teams. Additionally, team members’ ability to use complex communication technologies varies across individuals. This variation potentially may lead to inter- and intra-group conflict, as well as creating organizational work ambiguity, which refers to the existence of conflicting and multiple interpretations of a work issue (Miller, 2006). This article addresses the challenges of virtual team socialization with regard to newcomer assimilation and how newcomer encounter is an embedded process of virtual team assimilation.

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Managing Relationships in Virtual Team Socialization

Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, Second Edition ◽

10.4018/978-1-60566-026-4.ch399 ◽

2010 ◽

pp. 2510-2516

Author(s):

Shawn D. Long ◽

Gaelle Picherit-Duthler ◽

Kirk W. Duthler

Keyword(s):

Virtual Teams ◽

Communication Technology ◽

Electronic Mail ◽

Virtual Team ◽

New Members ◽

Team Members ◽

Face To Face ◽

Geographically Dispersed ◽

Technological Advances ◽

Organizational Work

The traditional organizational workplace is dramatically changing. An increasing number of organizations are employing workers who are physically and geographically dispersed and electronically dependent on each other to accomplish work (Gibson & Cohen, 2003; Griffith, Sawyer, & Neale, 2003). Recent technological advances, combined with more flexible job design, have helped increase the number of people working in distributed environments. Hence, more employees are working individually and on teams that seldom, if ever, meet face to face. These virtual employees have the same work responsibilities as traditional employees in addition to the challenge of operating within the dynamics of these newly designed mediated workplaces. Rapid developments in communication technology and the increasing influence of globalization and efficiency on organizations have significantly accelerated the growth and importance of virtual teams in contemporary workplaces. Virtual teams are becoming more commonplace because of the possibilities of a more efficient, less expensive, and more productive workplace. Additionally, distributed teams are less difficult to organize temporal organizational members than traditional co-located teams (Larsen & McInerney, 2002; Lurey & Raisinghani, 2001; Piccoli & Ives, 2003). Although there are apparent advantages of organizing work virtually, the challenge for new member integration lies in the fact that team members must communicate primarily through communication technology such as electronic mail, telephone, and videoconferencing or computer conferencing. This increased dependence on technology as a medium of communication significantly alters the way new members are socialized to work teams. Additionally, team members’ ability to use complex communication technologies varies across individuals. This variation potentially may lead to inter- and intra-group conflict, as well as creating organizational work ambiguity, which refers to the existence of conflicting and multiple interpretations of a work issue (Miller, 2006). This article addresses the challenges of virtual team socialization with regard to newcomer assimilation and how newcomer encounter is an embedded process of virtual team assimilation.

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Newcomer Assimilation in Virtual Team Socialization

Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, First Edition ◽

10.4018/978-1-59140-553-5.ch374 ◽

2005 ◽

pp. 2122-2128 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Shawn D. Long ◽

Gary F. Kohut ◽

Gaelle Picherit-Duthler

Keyword(s):

Virtual Teams ◽

Virtual Team ◽

Job Design ◽

Face To Face ◽

Technological Advances ◽

The Way

The way we work today is being transformed. Recent technological advances, combined with more flexible job design, have helped increase the number of people working in geographically and/or temporally dispersed environments. Increasing numbers of organizations have employees who are not physically present in the traditional organizations. Hence, more employees are working on teams that seldom, if ever, meet face-to-face. These “teleworkers” have the same work responsibilities as traditional employees, but they have the added challenges of managing or operating within the dynamics of these virtual teams.

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Cross-Disciplinary Learning in Virtual Teams

Encyclopedia of Virtual Communities and Technologies ◽

10.4018/978-1-59140-563-4.ch015 ◽

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.

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Brainstorming in Virtual Teams

Online Research Methods in Urban and Planning Studies ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-0074-4.ch009 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 138-156 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Mary T. Dzindolet ◽

Paul B. Paulus ◽

Courtney Glazer

Keyword(s):

Virtual Teams ◽

Idea Generation ◽

Field Research ◽

Virtual Team ◽

Research Process ◽

Research Teams ◽

Face To Face ◽

Technological Advances

Most research is conducted by teams rather than individuals, and due to a variety of technological advances many research teams do not work face-to-face; they work virtually. The creativity literature that explores how working as a member of a virtual team differs from working as a member of a face-to-face team or as an individual is reviewed in this chapter, with a focus on the idea generation phase of the research process. The chapter offers practical techniques to help researchers effectively and efficiently brainstorm in virtual teams. Specific techniques to guide researchers are offered based on laboratory and field research in electronic, face-to-face, and virtual brainstorming.

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The power of individual cultural values in global virtual teams

International Journal of Cross Cultural Management ◽

10.1177/1470595812439868 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 193-210 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

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.

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A Study Of Strategic Sourcing And Strategic Supporting Of Virtual Teams

SAM Advanced Management Journal ◽

10.52770/tshj7374 ◽

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.

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

The Learning Organization ◽

10.1108/tlo-12-2016-0101 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 24 (3) ◽

pp. 138-149 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

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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Removing Space and Time

Handbook of Research on Virtual Workplaces and the New Nature of Business Practices ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-893-2.ch002 ◽

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.

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Leapfrogging an IT Sector

Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, First Edition ◽

10.4018/978-1-59140-553-5.ch316 ◽

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).

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