Global and Virtual Teams

1
Global and Virtual Teams

• Diverse Teams Operating Across
• Space, Time, and Culture
• to Accomplish Great Things

2
What is a Virtual Team?

• Works across space, time, and organizational
  boundaries with links strengthened by webs of
  communication technologies.
• (Lipnack and Stamps, 1997)
• Virtual teams work interdependently within
  geographically
  dispersed structures.
• (DeSanctis Jackson, 1994)
• Why are organizations
  increasing their use of
  virtual teams?

3
Critical to Virtual Team Success

• Trust in Virtual Teams
• Trust is more difficult to develop in virtual
  teams.
• Within virtual teams, those with higher levels of
  trust perform at a higher level
• The use of computer mediated communication in
  virtual teams
• CMC is leaner communication vs. face to face.
• CMC includes less non-verbal information.
• Virtual teams perform better when team member CMC
  skills are higher.
• Strong teamwork skills critical

4
Effective Virtual Team Members

• Teamwork skills now extremely important, not just
  desirable.
• Important skills include
• Communication skills.
• Using technology effectively to
  communicate.
• Collaboration and cooperation.
• Conflict management.
• Motivating and supporting each other.
• Remaining interdependent while being necessarily
  independent.

5
Technology Use in Teams

• Gathering and presenting information
• Ex document management systems.
• Communication within the team and with outside
  stakeholders
• Ex e-mail, blackboard, etc.
• Information processing, decision-making and
  problem-solving
• Ex Groupware or other software.
• Structuring teamwork
• Ex Project management tools, calendar, etc.

6
Team Time

• Process Paper
• Due December 5th or December 7th 3PM.
• Peer Evaluations
• Due December 5th during class
• Questions?

7
Effects of Technology on Teams

• Primary effects
• Ease of communication
• Increased ability to work across time and space
• More information available
• Secondary effects
• Relationships often develop with less or limited
  face-to-face contact