The Glue That Binds Creative Virtual Teams

2000 ◽  
pp. 101-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill E. Nemiro
Keyword(s):  
Work Environment ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Sense Of Community ◽  
Team Leaders ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Goal Clarity ◽  
Consulting Firms ◽  
Engineering Team ◽  
Full Study ◽  
On Line

This chapter describes an exploratory, qualitative research project that investigated the work environment necessary for virtual teams to be creative. Nine different virtual teams, with a total of 36 virtual team members (33 of which completed the full study), participated in this study. Three teams were organizational consulting firms, two teams were educational consortiums, three teams were on-line service provider teams, and one team was a product design engineering team. One semi-structured, telephone interview was conducted with each participant. Team members also completed a background survey. Grounded theorizing was used to generate an in-depth understanding of the phenomena under investigation. Connection, defined as the elements that need to be in place for a team to develop and maintain identity and a sense of community, emerged as a key category important to the realization of creativity in virtual teams. Connection was further subdivided into task connection (made up of dedication/commitment, and goal clarity); and interpersonal connection (made up of information sharing, trust, and personal bond). Suggestions for how team designers, team leaders, or managers can establish and develop connection in their own virtual teams are offered.

Mindfulness in the workplace

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 76-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
David S. Karlin
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Work Environment ◽  
Sense Of Community ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Mindfulness Practice ◽  
Free Form ◽  
Insurance Company ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Personal Lives ◽  
Team Members

Purpose This study aims to explore how a New Jersey-based, national vision insurance company and a Pennsylvania pharmacy benefits manager have incorporated mindfulness into the workplace. National Vision Administrators (NVA) and BeneCard PBF offer mindfulness to all employees, which has markedly improved productivity and morale, created empathy and stronger teamwork. The practice of mindfulness has been known to enhance results, decision-making skills and empower individuals to thrive under pressure both inside and out of the workplace. Design/methodology/approach To evaluate the benefit of a daily or weekly mindfulness practice, NVA tapped Free Form Minds, a training consultancy specializing in mindfulness, to conduct a series of group trainings and one-on-one sessions. To ensure optimal success and results, Fee Form Minds customized its programs for the companies and individuals they worked with. Findings The findings show team members have reported feeling more energized, with increased levels of concentration and decreased tendency of procrastination. Practicing employees found themselves regularly surpassing their goals while also allowing them to be more present with their families and less stressed at home. Originality/value The practice of mindfulness can help employees reduce stress and be more effective and focused. When utilizing this tool, ongoing, they are more likely to capitalize on their strengths and better handle stress. Incorporating the practice of mindfulness into NVA and BeneCard PBF has created a greater sense of community among employees leading to a more cohesive and happier work environment. Mindfulness has allowed individuals to be more focused, less impacted by stressors and improve both their professional and personal lives.

The Impact of External Factors on Virtual Teams

Virtual Teams ◽  
2011 ◽  
pp. 70-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Hornett
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Virtual Work ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
External Factors ◽  
Work Environments ◽  
Project Teams ◽  
Team Leaders ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Dynamic Forces ◽  
The Impact

Practitioners and researchers need to pay attention to how corporate organizing structures are impacting and are impacted by virtual work environments. Virtual teams are powerful organizing mechanisms, but they are not without limitations. This chapter reports on two cases in which dynamics outside the virtual project teams powerfully affected the teams. These cases, both based on studies of real project teams operating inside corporations, highlight the desirability of understanding virtual teams in context. While external factors are not unique to teamwork, their role has not been explored in depth in research on virtual teams. Dynamic forces outside teams seem more difficult to anticipate and to identify when team members are working virtually, and these powerful but invisible dynamics can be frustrating to virtual team leaders and members. Concluded in this chapter is that contrary to initial expectations, virtual teams are not replacing traditional forms of organizing. They are coexisting with traditional forms and dynamics, such as business drivers, hierarchies, departments, strategic priorities, and business needs. This coexistence can be fraught with conflict.

Information Security and Virtual Teams

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Penny Hart
Keyword(s):  
Information Security ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Security Measures ◽  
Technical Approach ◽  
Team Members ◽  
On Line ◽  
Ict Infrastructure ◽  
Communication Methods ◽  
Common Understanding

This article contends that there are two increasingly important phenomena for organisations: the existence of virtual teams and the realisation that information needs to be protected more effectively. On-line communication methods expose organisations to issues regarding security of their ICT infrastructure, systems and data. At the same time, making possible virtual teams able to be unconstrained in purpose, time or location. While security measures are built into the teams' communication channels and processes, the perceptions, practices and organizational background of team members are equally important to the security of information being exchanged. A socio-technical approach is called for when investigating different perceptions of information security by individual team members, how they negotiate a common understanding for the team and what complexities and practices are introduced in multi-organisation teams. The article sets out issues which may need to be considered and proposes a course of research to increase understanding of the situation.

Managing Virtual Teams: Strategies for Team Leaders

2009 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Lyons ◽  
Heather A. Priest ◽  
Jessica L. Wildman ◽  
Eduardo Salas ◽  
David Carnegie
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Team Leadership ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Team Leaders ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Support Tools ◽  
Virtual Team Leadership ◽  
Collaborative Support ◽  
And Training

Organizations' increasing use of virtual teams has emphasized the importance of effective virtual team leadership. Yet the distribution of team members complicates typical leader functions, such as supervision and support, which the leader must now perform through technology. In this article, we present 10 strategies for managing virtual teams, focusing on the role of technology and training. Our hope is that these strategies will inform designers and guide them in developing collaborative support tools and procedures for these tools and in designing training for the use of these tools.

E-leadership effectiveness in virtual teams: motivating language perspective

2014 ◽  
Vol 114 (3) ◽  
pp. 421-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai-Tang Fan ◽  
Yuan-Ho Chen ◽  
Ching-Wen Wang ◽  
Minder Chen
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Idea Generation ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Group Decision Support System ◽  
Team Leaders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Motivating Language

Purpose – Virtual teams are becoming a norm in current knowledge-based society and offer a wide range of organizational benefits. This paper aims to investigate the effects of leaders’ motivating language (ML) and feedback approach on virtual team members’ creativity performance. Design/methodology/approach – A 2×2 with pre-test and post-test experimental design was employed to explore how to stimulate virtual team members’ creativity performance using a group decision support system. Findings – The results show that leaders’ ML and feedback approach via e-mail instructions have different interaction effects on members’ creativity and idea generation performance. Team members receiving direction-giving instructions generate more ideas under the demanding feedback approach and team member receiving instructions with more empathetic language exhibit higher creativity performance under the encouraging feedback approach. Research limitations/implications – Shortcomings of virtual environment and leadership remain the major factors influencing such findings. Since the results are also restrained by the functionality of the utilized software tool, tools for virtual teams are recommended to include features that can support the effective use of team leaders’ motivational language. Social implications – Virtual team leaders should provide proper guidance to members using understanding and empathetic wording approach. For task-oriented work, leaders should consider giving more specific instructions and provide constant feedback for completed work. For creative work, leaders should give positive encouragement as feedback or even challenge team members to stimulate their creativity. Additionally, facilitation rules can be set up in advance so that the intelligent agent can timely send out follow-up instructions/feedback. Originality/value – The gained insights beneficially help tool developers for virtual teams build/enhance their tools based on the need of team leaders. This paper also usefully offers important implications regarding how to motivate virtual team members’ creative thinking.

scholarly journals Felkészítés a virtuális üzleti világra

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 5-11
Author(s):  
Kinga Dancsházy ◽  
György Hampel
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Da Vinci ◽  
Leonardo Da Vinci ◽  
Training Material ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Learning Modules ◽  
Survey Report ◽  
E Learning ◽  
On Line

The goal of the project developed under the Leonardo da Vinci programme, "SME's e-learning to e-work efficiently" was to provide a practical and useful support for the preparation of e-managers and e-workers of small and medium-sized enterprises working in a virtual environment and to be able to be useful e-team members of virtual teams. To achieve the goals the following tasks were carried out: (1) Specification of needs; (2) Development of the on-line toolkit; (3) Development of the training material; (4) Training the e-tutors; (5) Development of the testing methodology; (6) Pilot testing on the target group; (7) Accreditation of the modules; (8) Continuous dissemination and promotion activities. The three main products of the project are the sectoral survey report, the on-line toolkit and twelve e-learning modules. All products arc developed to support e-work in a virtual environment.

The Effect of Cultural Dimensions on the Development of Intra-Team Trust in Global Virtual Teams

2011 ◽  
pp. 64-81
Author(s):  
Kurt D. Kirstein
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Power Distance ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Uncertainty Avoidance ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
Team Leaders ◽  
Global Virtual Teams ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Widespread Adoption ◽  
Team Trust

The widespread adoption of global virtual teams has been driven by an unprecedented need to draw upon talents of employees from around the globe in a manner that is both organizationally and financially feasible. The success of these teams depends largely on the levels of intra-team trust and collaboration they are able to establish throughout the life of their projects. Team members on global virtual teams may differ substantially on a number of cultural dimensions including preferences for individualistic versus collective teamwork, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and contextual communication. This chapter will investigate how these four cultural dimensions are likely to impact intra-team trust within a global virtual team. Suggestions that team leaders can utilize to address these cultural dimensions are also presented.

Fostering Creativity in Global Virtual Teams

2008 ◽  
pp. 1277-1291
Author(s):  
Margaret Oertig ◽  
Thomas Buergi
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Idea Generation ◽  
Project Teams ◽  
Team Formation ◽  
Risk Averse ◽  
Team Leaders ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Global Team ◽  
Fostering Creativity

This chapter presents insights from conversations with global team leaders on how to foster creativity in global virtual project teams in the field of product development. It shows how the leaders pay attention to team formation and managing the group dynamics in order to create a climate in which creativity will flourish. They then harness creativity by balancing the roles of motivating their team members in order to encourage fresh thinking and “putting on the brakes” where necessary in order to create something both new and viable. In particular, risk-averse team members are encouraged to be matter-of-fact about risk, making risk evaluation an intrinsic part of idea generation.

Fostering Creativity in Global Virtual Teams

2011 ◽  
pp. 123-137
Author(s):  
Margaret Oertig
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Idea Generation ◽  
Project Teams ◽  
Team Formation ◽  
Risk Averse ◽  
Team Leaders ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Global Team ◽  
Fostering Creativity

This chapter presents insights from conversations with global team leaders on how to foster creativity in global virtual project teams in the field of product development. It shows how the leaders pay attention to team formation and managing the group dynamics in order to create a climate in which creativity will flourish. They then harness creativity by balancing the roles of motivating their team members in order to encourage fresh thinking and “putting on the brakes” where necessary in order to create something both new and viable. In particular, risk-averse team members are encouraged to be matter-of-fact about risk, making risk evaluation an intrinsic part of idea generation.

Trust in Virtual Teams

2011 ◽  
pp. 99-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wray E. Bradley ◽  
George S. Vozikis
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Individual Member ◽  
Team Leaders ◽  
Collaborative Teams ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Team Members ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Or Team ◽  
Prior Experiences ◽  
Different Levels

Discussed in this chapter are the role and importance of trust in virtual teams. It is suggested that the nature and degree of this trust are related to the culture and management philosophies of a firm, the interpersonal skills of management and team leaders, and the psychological characteristics and prior experiences and expectations of the team members. Trust and trust building are examined at three different levels: the firm level, the manager or team leader level, and the individual member level. A better understanding of the dynamics of trust in virtual teams will assist management in developing more efficient and effective virtual collaborative teams.

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