virtualteamisagroupofpeoplewhointeractthroughinterdependenttasksguided

bycommonpurposeandworkacrossspace,time,andorganizational
boundarieswithlinksstrengthenedbywebsofcommunicationtechnologies.
Globalvirtualteamsaregroupsthat
(a)areidentifiedbytheirorganization(s)andmembersasateam;
(b)areresponsibleformakingand/orimplementingdecisionsimportanttothe
organizationsglobalstrategy;
(c)usetechnologysupportedcommunicationsubstantiallymorethanfacetoface
communication;and
(d)workandliveindifferentcountries
researchmethodology
threeglobalvirtualteams,collectingdataoveraperiodof21months:9monthsof
intensiveobservationandcollection,precededby3monthsofinformal
discussionswiththeteamsandtheirmanagers,andfollowedby9monthsofmore
discussions.
Datacollection:multiplemethods,includinginterviews,observations,
communicationlogs,questionnaires,andcompanydocumentation,andconducted
qualitativeanalysesofthesedatabothwithineachcaseandacrosscases

findings

First,wesawglobalvirtualteamdynamicsasaseriesofinteractionincidents.
Eachincidentincorporatesasetofdecisionprocessesusingaparticularmedium
andisshapedbyalimitedsetofstructuralcharacteristics.Althoughthereare
infinitepotentialstructureprocessconfigurations,thenumberassociatedwith
effectiveinteractionseemstobelimited.
Second,ineffectiveglobalvirtualteamstheinteractionincidentsthemselvesare
sequencedinarepeatingtemporalpattern.Thisbasicpatternisdefinedbyregular
facetofacemeetingsinwhichtheintensityofinteractionisextremelyhigh,
followedbyaperiodofsomeweeksinwhichinteractionincidentsarelessintense.

Moreover,thedecisionprocessisorganizedtomatchthistemporalpattern,rather
thantheotherwayaround.
Insum,withininteractionincidentsthemediumandformareselectedtomatchthe
function,butacrossincidentsovertime,thefunctionismodifiedtomatchthe
mediumandform.

Globalvirtualteaminteractionovertimewasbestdescribedasaseriesofsocial
interactionincidents,orcontinuouscommunicationamongtwoormoremembers
usingonemedium.
Incidentsvariedonthreeimportantdimensions:decisionprocess,message
complexity,andform.Ineffectiveincidents,formwasafunctionofdecision
processandmessagecomplexity.

Weconcludedthattwoofourthreeteams,MakeTechandSellTech,couldbecon
sideredeffective,withSellTechthemoreeffective.Membersandexecutives
weresatisfiedwiththeirdecisionsandactions.Teammembersratedtheir
processesaseffectiveandreportedhighcommitmenttotheteamandhighteam
cohesion,concurringwithourobservationsandanalysis.Weconcludedthat
NewTech,ontheotherhand,wasnotaneffectiveglobalvirtualteam.Theteam
didnotmakedecisionsaboutthenewproductanddidnottakeactiontodevelop
theproductwell.Mostmemberswhorespondeddidnotratetheirprocessesor
cohesionhighly,andwedidnotobservethemcommunicatingamongthegroupas
awhole.NewTechslackofeffectivenesswasanegativeoutcomeforMTI,butit
aidedouranalysisbyprovidingacaseoftheoreticalreplicationontheperfor
mancevariable.

Howsocialinteractioncreatesdecisionoutcomesinglobalvirtualteams.
PROPOSITION1:Ineffectiveglobalvirtualteams,thehigherthelevelofdecision
processservedbyanincident,themorerichthemediumappropriatedandthe
longertheincidentsduration.
PROPOSITION2:Ineffectiveglobalvirtualteams,themorecomplexthemessage
contentofanincident,themorerichthemediumappropriatedandthelongerthe

incidentsduration.
PROPOSITION3.Ineffectiveglobalvirtualteams,ifarichmediumisnotrequired,
themostaccessiblemediumwillbeused.
PROPOSITION4:Ineffectiveglobalvirtualteams,ifanincidentservesmultiple
functionsormessages,itsmediumanddurationwillbeshapedbythehighest
functionandthemostcomplexity.
PROPOSITION5A:Ineffectiveglobalvirtualteams,thehigherthetasksrequired
levelofinterdependence,themorecommunicationincidentswillbeinitiated.
PROPOSITION5B:Ineffectiveglobalvirtualteams,the
morecomplexthetask,themorecomplextheincidentsmessageswillbe.
PROPOSITION6A:Ineffectiveglobalvirtualteams,thegreatertheorganizational
andgeographicboundariesspannedbyaglobalvirtualteamsmembers,andthe
greatertheculturalandprofessionaldifferencesamongteammembers,themore
complextheteamsmessageswillbe.
PROPOSITION6B:Ineffectiveglobalvirtualteams,thestrongerthesharedview
andrelationshipsamongglobalvirtualteammembers,thelesscomplexthe
teamsmessageswillbe.
PROPOSITION6C:Otherthingsbeingequal,ineffectiveglobalvirtualteamsthe
receivingmemberspreferencesandcontextdeterminesanincidentsmedium.
messagecomplexityincreasedwiththenumberofbordersspannedbyteam
members,andtheeffectiveteamsusedrichermediawhencrossingboundaries.
MakeTechandSellTechspannedcompanyandlocationalboundariesby
explainingmessagesthoroughlywithoutusingcompanyspecificjargonorother
shortcutsthatwesawinNewTechmessages.Membersaskedclarification
questionsfrequentlyandrespondedtosuchquestionscarefully,behaviorswe
rarelysawinNewTechteamincidents.BothMakeTechandSellTechdeliberately
addressedrelationshipbuildingtodevelopsharedviewsandtrustacrossalltypes
ofboundaries,whereasNewTechdidnotattempttobuildrelationshipsacross
boundaries.Theseboundaryspanningactivitiesweremorefrequentandmore
intenseinMakeTech,whichhadmoreandgreaterboundaries.
Inaddition,culturalorprofessionaldifferencesamongmembersincreased
messagecomplexityoncorrespondingdimensions

Intheeffectiveteams,ataskwithhigherinterdependenceand/orgreater
complexitywasassociatedwithmorefrequentincidents,higherdecision
processes,andmorecomplexity.Forexample,MakeTechstaskrequiredhigher
interdependenceandwasmorecomplexthanSellTechsprimarytask.MakeTech
membersengagedinmoreincidentswitheachotheratallprocesslevelsthan
SellTechmembersdid,andMakeTechsmessagestendedtobemorecomplex.
OfSellTechsmessages,themorecomplexonesconcernedfuturedevelopment
ratherthanselling.NewTechstaskrequiredthehighestlevelofinterdependence
andwasthemostcomplex,butmembersdidnotinitiateasmanytaskrelated
incidentsastheotherteamsdid.