Knowledge Integration in the Creative Process of Globally Distributed Teams

2010 ◽  
pp. 47-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosana Silveira Reis ◽  
Ylenia Curzi
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Creative Process ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Knowledge Integration ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Distributed Teams ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Time Zone ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Globally Distributed

The aim of this chapter is to analyse knowledge integration in the creative process of globally distributed teams as they develop new products. Mainstream researches and studies focus on knowledge integration in terms of transference of knowledge; they highlight its relevance with respect to innovation and creativity, and investigate the conditions that assure or inhibit it. The creative process in globally distributed teams is fairly unexplored by academic literature. With only a few exceptions, the literature focuses on virtual teams: i.e., distributed teams where factors such as culture, time zone and language are irrelevant to the development of the activities carried out by team members. The authors concentrate their efforts in looking for how knowledge integration happens in the creative process in globally distributed teams. For this reason, they shall rely on a research method founded on the notions of adequate causation and objective possibility. On this basis, they have compared two empirical cases in order to answer their research question. The authors have thus analysed six global product development projects carried out by globally distributed teams belonging to a Swedish company working with teams in France and Brazil; and an Italian company working with teams in Tunisia. The data has been gathered through participant observations, semi-structured interviews and document analysis from 2007 to 2009. This contribution is grounded in the analysis of the existing literature and in the data collected on the field.

Virtual team experiences in an emerging economy: a qualitative study

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 778-794 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shubhi Gupta ◽  
Govind Swaroop Pathak
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Virtual Work ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to document the experiences of team members in order to map the kinds of experiential outcomes that they report while working in virtual teams. The study will help to expand the understanding of various issues related to virtual work arrangements from the perceptions of information technology (IT) professionals in India.Design/methodology/approachThe study was conducted by adopting an exploratory approach with the use of qualitative methodology. The method of sampling adopted was purposive cum snowball sampling. Semi-structured interviews (face-to-face and telephonic) were conducted by taking a sample of 52 respondents, who are employed by IT organisations. The interviews were recorded digitally, transcribed and analysed by using the content-coding approach followed by a thematic analysis.FindingsThe foremost contribution of the study is that it has considered the various motivators and the skills required to be a successful virtual team player. Significant challenges encountered in virtual teams have also been identified.Practical implicationsVirtual teams in the contemporary business environment are evolving with an unparalleled velocity. The findings of the paper have implications for managers, team leaders and change agents regarding how to transform and sustain in the rapidly changing business context of emerging economies.Originality/valueIn the extant literature on virtual teams very little is known about how individual members perceive this new form of teamwork. The findings of the study advance research on the topic of virtual teams by lending empirical support with respect to the interaction effects between IT and human beings. Recommendations have been provided for individual team members and organisations.

Knowledge Transfer and Sharing in Globally Distributed Teams

2010 ◽  
pp. 789-794
Author(s):  
Ilan Oshri ◽  
Julia Kotlarsky ◽  
Paul C. van Fenema
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Product Development ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
New Product Development ◽  
New Product ◽  
Distributed Teams ◽  
Distributed Organizations ◽  
Is Development ◽  
Globally Distributed

Recent years have witnessed the globalisation of many industries. Consequently, globally distributed and virtual teams have become increasingly common in many areas, for example, in new product development and information systems (IS) development. Achieving successful collaborations has become a key challenge for globally distributed organizations, and it is largely dependent on teams’ ability to transfer and share knowledge.

Analyzing the Quality of Virtual Teams

2005 ◽  
pp. 117-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert M. Verburg ◽  
J. H. Erik Andriessen ◽  
Joris P.G. de Rooij
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Global Market ◽  
Distributed Teams ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Time Zone ◽  
Geographic Boundaries ◽  
Develop Software ◽  
Information And Communication

Global market developments and the large-scale use of diverse applications in the area of information and communication technology (ICT) have been key factors in the emergence of distributed teams. Such teams are often referred to as virtual teams. Virtual teams enable collaboration between people across traditional boundaries and offer tremendous opportunities for various achievements. Businesses are no longer tied to a single time zone and are, for example, able to develop software around the 24-hour clock. The Internet—as the almost universal medium for interaction across boundaries—has created an infrastructure that enables many organizations to launch virtual teams. Hardly any technical obstacle for communication and collaboration across geographic boundaries remains, as these processes are supported by high-tech collaboration solutions such as groupware and other collaborative applications (e.g., videoconferencing, electronic blackboards). Virtual teams have a number of opportunities that are not found with co-located teams, such as involving rare expertise.

Making Organisations Virtual: The Hidden Cost of Distributed Teams

2004 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 191-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Breu ◽  
Christopher J Hemingway
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Distributed Teams ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Hidden Cost ◽  
Boundary Properties ◽  
Sensitive Knowledge ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Organisational Virtualisation

This paper reports an exploratory case study that used boundary theory to investigate the impact of organisational virtualisation on work units. Specifically, the research analysed the transition in a public sector organisation from permanent, co-located teams to temporary virtual teams and its impact on team boundary properties and activities. The study contributes to existing knowledge of virtual teams and virtualisation processes in several ways. The findings suggest that, contrary to existing thinking, rather than removing organisational and institutional boundaries, virtualisation increases the number and complexity of such boundaries at the work unit level. The findings also indicate that the chronic lack of knowledge sharing on virtual teams is, in addition to difficulties of establishing interpersonal trust, due to a lack of trust in the technology as an appropriate medium for sensitive knowledge sharing. The implications of the study for practice are that efficiency gains from organisational virtualisation can easily be offset by the need to invest additional resources and team members’ time into cultivating a greater number of transient relationships at a distance. Organisations also need to invest in opportunities for face-to-face interaction where sensitive knowledge sharing is a critical resource for a virtual team.

Sustaining Organizational Culture in the Globally Distributed Environment

2011 ◽  
pp. 51-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathy L. Milhauser
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Product Development ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Distributed Teams ◽  
Distributed Environment ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Business Opportunity ◽  
Geographic Boundaries ◽  
Globally Distributed

Organizations of all sizes are finding it necessary to expand their operations across geographic boundaries in a phenomenon that has been referred to as the globally distributed team. While this trend is typically a response to business opportunity, it is not without challenges. One of those challenges is how to maintain organizational culture as teams become globally distributed. The goal of the research detailed in this chapter was to examine a single organization that has been utilizing distributed teams to facilitate product development. A single case study method was used. Data was gathered through a series of semi-structured interviews with employees who participated in a distributed product development team. The chapter includes a review of the organization’s approach to orienting employees to the organizational culture, maintaining focus on the culture over a period of years, and extending the culture to support globalization while maintaining the integration of distributed teams into the overall organization.

Creative Process of Globally Distributed Teams: The Shades of Flexibility

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 (1) ◽  
pp. 12829
Author(s):  
Rosana Silveira Reis ◽  
Camilla Quental ◽  
Eric Van Heck
Keyword(s):  
Creative Process ◽  
Distributed Teams ◽  
Globally Distributed

Job-related demands and resources for employees working on virtual teams: A qualitative-study

Work ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Nora Schröder ◽  
Ann-Christin Kordsmeyer ◽  
Volker Harth ◽  
Stefanie Mache
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Job Demands ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Virtual Teamwork ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Job Demands And Resources

BACKGROUND: The increasing globalization and the advances in communication technology have expedited the formation of virtual teams. The geographical distribution of virtual team members entails significant changes in working conditions. There is limited knowledge about the demands and resources virtual team members experience and how these can affect their mental health. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to identify the work-related psychological demands and resources of virtual team members. METHODS: 14 semi-structured interviews with virtual team members were conducted. Study participants were recruited based on the gatekeeper principle and the snowball principle. The interviewees were asked about self-perceived job demands and resources of virtual teamwork. The interviews were analyzed according to Mayring’s structuring content analysis. RESULTS: Based on the qualitative analysis, the following job demands were explored among virtual team members: challenges due to permanent availability, technical conditions, and communication issues with other virtual team members. Job-related resources among virtual team members were also identified and are reflected in increased autonomy, flexibility and improved compatibility of private and professional working life. CONCLUSION: This study contributes to the understanding of the specific working conditions of virtual team members and identified job demands and resources of virtual teamwork. In addition, this study can be used as a basis for further quantitative investigations.

Virtual Teams

2011 ◽  
pp. 4012-4017
Author(s):  
Robert M. Verburg
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Global Market ◽  
Distributed Teams ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Time Zone ◽  
Geographic Boundaries ◽  
Develop Software ◽  
Information And Communication

Global market developments and the large-scale use of diverse applications in the area of information and communication technology have been key factors in the emergence of distributed teams. Such teams are often referred to as virtual teams. Virtual teams enable collaboration between people across traditional boundaries and offer tremendous opportunities for various achievements. Businesses are no longer tied to a single time zone and are, for example, able to develop software around the 24-hour clock. The Internet as the almost universal medium for interaction across boundaries has created an infrastructure that enables many organizations to launch virtual teams. Hardly any technical obstacle for communication and collaboration across geographic boundaries remain as these processes are supported by high tech collaboration solutions, such as groupware and other collaborative applications (e.g., videoconferencing, electronic blackboards). Virtual teams have a number of opportunities that are not found with colocated teams, such as involving rare expertise.

Knowledge Transfer and Sharing in Globally Distributed Teams

2010 ◽  
pp. 1656-1663
Author(s):  
Ilan Oshri ◽  
Julia Kotlarsky ◽  
Paul C. van Fenema
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Product Development ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
New Product Development ◽  
New Product ◽  
Distributed Teams ◽  
Distributed Organizations ◽  
Is Development ◽  
Globally Distributed

Recent years have witnessed the globalisation of many industries. Consequently, globally distributed and virtual teams have become increasingly common in many areas, for example, in new product development and information systems (IS) development. Achieving successful collaborations has become a key challenge for globally distributed organizations, and it is largely dependent on teams’ ability to transfer and share knowledge.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document