Impacts of team virtuality on performance : a qualitative study.

Recent studies on virtual teams reveal that team virtuality varies in a continuum and may take different levels. Different levels of virtuality have considerable impacts on team processes and management as they imply several characteristics concerning communication dynamics and interaction styles, which change when shifting from one level to another. The purpose of this paper is to assess how the variability of team virtuality influences team performance. A multidimensional approach to evaluate virtuality was elaborated to identify changing performance variables at each level. The performance variables retained with relevance to the context study are: output quality, team members` satisfaction, and team processes. A qualitative study was conducted on 6 virtual teams composed of 4 students involved in on-line master degrees at a French university. The results show that performance measures are differently influenced by virtuality level. Although output quality seems not to be related to team virtuality, effective team processes and members’ satisfaction are associated with low virtuality levels. Ineffective processes were found in high virtuality teams, however positive dynamics and tem spirit characterise low virtuality teams.Télétravail; Virtual team performance; Team processes; performance; Equipes virtuelles; E-management; Telework;

Virtual Team Collaboration: A Review of Literature and Perspectives

Along with the widespread use of information technologies (IT) and the increasing geographical span of tasks held by various organizations, Virtual Teams (VTs) rose as an alternative organizational form which has the potential to deeply change the workplace. This article provides a review of previously published work on collaboration in VTs. The review is organized around two perspectives adopted by scholars, namely technological and managerial. This analysis underlines two major constructs that leads to an efficient VT collaboration, i.e. the context in which the collaboration is held and the collaboration style. While the former is illustrated by knowledge and team characteristics, the latter is identified by technological media and leadership. Building on this classification, we suggest a model and explore future research directions with a particular attention to the implications for collaboration in organizations.Collaboration, Virtual Team, Knowledge Sharing, Literature Review

Team Climate and Media Choice in Virtual Teams

As work teams become more distributed, effective computer-mediated communication is increasingly impacting their performance. This study investigates how team climate influences communication frequency among team members and their use of different communication media. Data were collected in two information systems courses offered at an Austrian university in which 50 student teams developed web-based applications and conducted usability tests. A team climate framework based on task and social orientation was used to assess the teams’ performance and communication patterns. We found that both task and social dimensions of team climate were positively related to higher communication frequency as well as objective and subjective performance. Among other things, the results suggest that a task-oriented climate is especially linked to the use of e-mail, while social orientation is linked to the use of face-to-face meetings. We also found differences in communication patterns and performance across four different types of team climates (fully functioning, cozy, cold, and dysfunctional). The results underscore the importance of both task and social dimensions for a team to perform well. Our study contributes to both the academic literature that investigates factors affecting media choice and the practitioner literature that examines how to manage virtual teamwork effectively

The effect of asynchronous communication on the relationship between intragroup conflicts and transition processes

The aim of this research is to evaluate the effect of asynchronous communication on the relationship between intragroup conflicts and transition processes. Data was collected from 332 respondents with the help of a questionnaire. Results of the moderation analysis showed that asynchronous communication has a significantly negative impact on the association of relationship conflict and transition processes. Even though, the impact of asynchronous communication on the relationship between task conflict and transition processes was not significant. The discussion part focuses on the moderation model and reasons why the negative effect of low synchronous communication might be stronger than the negative effect of high synchronous communication. Implications for real business cases are that transition processes should be seen as important, as they are the basis of successful projects. Moreover, managers should invest in team building in the beginning of every project in order to avoid possible disadvantages, which may arise in teams which communicate from different places and mainly virtual.A tese que se apresenta tem como objetivo a avaliação do efeito da comunicação assíncrona na relação entre conflitos intra-grupais e processos de transição. A recolha de dados foi obtida através de 332 indivíduos entrevistados sob forma de questionário. Os resultados da análise ponderada demonstram que a comunicação assíncrona tem impactos significativamente negativos na associação com conflitos intra-grupais e processos de transição. No entanto, os resultados indicam que o impacto da comunicação assíncrona na relação com o conflito de tarefas e processos de transição não é significativa. Na seção de discussão sobre os resultados, a qual é efetuada com base no modelo de moderação, o enfoque está assente nas razões pelas quais o efeito negativo de fracos níveis comunicação assíncrona poderá ser mais intensa que o efeito negativo de elevados níveis comunicação assíncrona. As implicações deste caso no mundo empresarial têm a ver com a importância dada aos processos de transição, a qual deveria ser elevada, sendo que estes se consideram estar a base de projetos bem-sucedidos. Adicionalmente, os gestores devem investir em ações de atividades em grupo na fase inicial de cada projeto, por forma a eliminar e evitar dificuldades no futuro, as quais são passíveis de surgir em qualquer equipa que comunique de locais diferentes e na maioria por via virtual

Application of Media Synchronicity Theory to Creative Tasks in Virtual Teams Using the Example of Design Thinking

Today in many industries it is common to work in virtual teams. At the same time companies must innovate to retain their market share and stay in the market. One possible method to come up with innovations is Design Thinking. However, this method is originally not intended to be used in a virtual team. The objective of this research is to provide a guideline on how to practice Design Thinking in a remote setup, thus travel expenses and planning efforts could be saved. This guideline is based on the media synchronicity theory which is applied to the process of Design Thinking. As a result, it is deduced that the diverging phases in Design Thinking are best supported with asynchronous media. In contrast to the converging phases which are supported best by synchronous media. These results could be used by practitioners to choose the best fitting media for each phase

The impacts of team virtuality: An investigation of team virtuality, team reflexivity, and copresence on team effectiveness

Teams have become the standard way of working in organizations. Therefore, it is of extreme importance to understand what differentiates high performing teams from other teams. Team Virtuality is also increasingly more common. Globalization, distributed skills and competencies, and the advances on communication technology have led organizations to increasingly rely on virtual teams. In this sense, the present study investigates the impact of Team Virtuality on Team Reflexivity, a team process that highly contributes to Team Effectiveness. Despite the geographic and/or temporal distance, and the loss of some cues when communicating through virtual tools, one can still feel present in an environment and that others are present with them and collaborating. This study investigates if this sense of copresence is able to moderate the relationship between Team Virtuality and Team Reflexivity. A sample of 93 Start-up employees has been analyzed. Results showed that the extent of use of virtual tools, informational value and synchronicity have actually a positive effect on Team Reflexivity; that Team Reflexivity has, in fact, a positive influence on Team Performance and Team Viability; but, however, that Copresence has no moderation power on the relationship of Team Virtuality with Team Reflexivity. This research extends the literature, as the impact of Team Virtuality in team processes, Team Reflexivity included, hasn’t received significant dedication yet. Moreover, Copresence’s impacts have not been studied at all, and it needs further research. Practical and theoretical implications of the findings and potential questions for future research are discussed.As equipas tornaram-se a forma de trabalho mais comum nas organizações. Por isso, é de extrema importância compreender o que diferencia as equipas de alto desempenho das outras equipas. A virtualidade na equipa é, também, cada vez mais comum. A globalização, as competências e skills distribuídas, e os avanços na tecnologia de comunicação levaram as organizações a recorrer, cada vez mais, a equipas virtuais. Neste sentido, o presente estudo investiga o impacto da Virtualidade das equipas na Reflexividade das mesmas, um processo de equipa que contribui altamente para a Eficácia das equipas. Apesar da distância geográfica e/ou temporal e da perda de algumas pistas quando a comunicação é feita através de ferramentas virtuais, é possível, ainda, sentir que se está presente num determinado interface e que os outros estão, também, presentes connosco e a colaborar. Este estudo investiga se este sentimento de copresença é capaz de moderar a relação entre a Virtualidade da equipa e a Reflexividade da equipa. Foi analisada uma amostra de 93 empregados de Start-ups.Os resultados mostraram que a quantidade de ferramentas virtuais utilizadas, o valor informacional e a sincronia das mesmas têm, na realidade, um efeito positivo na Reflexividade da equipa; que a Reflexividade da equipa tem, de facto, um impacto positivo no Desempenho e na Viabilidade da Equipa; mas, no entanto, que a Copresença não tem poder de moderação na relação entre a Virtualidade da equipa com a Reflexividade da equipa. Implicações práticas e teóricas dos resultados e potenciais questões para investigação futura são discutidas

Communication Media for Distributed Software Design

As virtual software projects are becoming more popular, it is also more common for software design, one of the key activities in software development process, to be conducted in the distributed context. Previous research has shown that communication media had an impact on the development of shared-understanding among team members in virtual teams. However, how communication media influences the development of shared-understanding among team members in software design, an activity where communication among team members are intense and complicated, is not well-understood. Therefore, within the scope of this study, we would like to conduct a case study to examine how virtual software development teams use communication media in their software design activities and how their usage influence their shared-understanding of the user requirements and design solutions. The outcome of the study is expected to validate the Media Synchronicity Theory in the distributed software design context as well as informing practitioners of the appropriate communication media usage for conducting distributed software design

Cultural diversity and information and communication technology impacts on global virtual teams: An exploratory study.

Modern organizations face many significant challenges because of turbulent environments and a competitive global economy. Among these challenges are the use of information and communication technology (ICT), a multicultural workforce, and organizational designs that involve global virtual teams. Ad hoc teams create both opportunities and challenges for organizations and many organizations are trying to understand how the virtual environment affects team effectiveness. Our exploratory study focused on the effects of cultural diversity and ICT on team effectiveness. Interviews with 41 team members from nine countries employed by a Fortune 500 corporation were analyzed. Results suggested that cultural diversity had a positive influence on decision‐making and a negative influence on communication. ICT mitigated the negative impact on intercultural communication and supported the positive impact on decision making. Effective technologies for intercultural communication included e‐mail, teleconferencing combined with e‐Meetings, and team rooms. Cultural diversity influenced selection of the communication media

How virtuality impacts start-up employees performance through its influence on entrepreneurship passion

There is evidence that organizations have increased the use of virtual teams in recent years and combined with this there are many advantages. However, there is no certainty that these teams have a virtual positive effect on their performance. This study, through a questionnaire, examined how team's entrepreneurial passion mediated the relationship between Virtuality and Team Performance and how the Work Conflict moderated the Team's Entrepreneurial Passion effect on performance. A sample of 41 start-ups was analyzed using a moderate mediation model; and the results indicate that the Virtuality is positively related to Team Performance and that the Team's Entrepreneurial Passion also contributes to good performance. On the other hand, the relationship between Virtuality and Team Entrepreneurial Passion is less clear, and its positive impact depends on the informational value and the extent of use with which the team uses virtual tools to work. Practical implications of the results and possible questions for future research are discussed.Há evidências de que as organizações têm aumentado o uso de equipas virtuais nos últimos anos e aliado a isso existem muitas vantagens. Ainda assim, não há certeza de que estas equipas tenham um efeito positivo da virtualidade na sua performance. O presente estudo, através de um questionário, examinou como é que a paixão empreendedora da equipa mediou a relação entre virtualidade e performance e como o conflito de trabalho moderou o efeito da paixão empreendedora da equipa na performance. Uma amostra de 41 start-ups foi analisada por meio de um modelo de mediação moderada; e os resultados indicam que a virtualidade está positivamente relacionada com a performance e que também a paixão empreendedora da equipa contribui para uma boa performance. Por outro lado, a relação entre virtualidade e paixão empreendedora da equipa é menos clara, sendo que o seu positivo impacto depende do valor informacional e do grau de utilização com que a equipa recorre a ferramentas virtuais para trabalhar. São discutidas implicações práticas dos resultados e levantadas possíveis perguntas para futuras pesquisas