Presented by Robert L. Reum

1. Collaborating with Virtuality: Leveraging Enabling Conditions to Improve Team Effectiveness By Cristina B. Gibson, Ph.D. Presented by Robert L. Reum MGMT 6600 – Dr. Tang March 14, 2012

2. Author: Cristina B. Gibson, Ph.D. • Education • B.A. in Psychology • Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior • Grants and Awards • 1998 NSF POWRE Award • 2002 Ascendant Scholar Award • 2002 Excellence in Research Award

3. AuthorContinued • Publications • 2 Books • 34 Journal Articles • 12 Book Chapters • 1 Paper Under Review • 5 Works in Process • Career • Full Professor at UC Irvine • Academy of Management Journal Editorial Board

4. The Value of Teamwork • A Few Questions to Start • Relatively New Subject • “…research on virtual teams is still in its nascent stages.” (Badrinarayanan and Arnett, 2008) • Collaboration as a Competitive Advantage • Innovative solutions at lower costs

5. Virtual Teams Defined • “Virtual Team” • “‘Teams who are interdependent in their tasks who share responsibilities for outcomes and who see themselves, and are viewed by others, as a team.’” (Gibson, 2011) • Virtual vs. Co-Located Teams • What is the difference?

6. Key Factors of Virtuality • Four Key Factors: • 1. Electronic Dependence • 2. Geographic Dispersion • 3. Diversity • 4. Dynamic Structure

7. Key Factors of Virtuality Continued • Electronic Dependence • Reliance upon electronic mediated communication to stay in touch and complete work • Telephone • Email • Fax • Teleconferencing • Degree of Virtuality • How much is enough?

8. Key Factors of Virtuality Continued • Geographic Dispersion • Members work from many different locations • Regions • Countries • States • Cities • Perceived vs. Actual Proximity • Does one outweigh the other?

9. Key Factors of Virtuality Continued • Cultural Diversity • Virtuality makes it possible to bring together members representing highly diverse groups • Regions • Nations • Cultures • Organizations • Sociotechnological Systems • Social systems intertwined with technology systems

10. Key Factors of Virtuality Continued • Dynamic Structure • Highly virtual teams have a structure that is dynamic and evolving • Participants may be unknown in advance • Special Skills Needed • External adjustment skills help members address the team’s dynamic nature

11. The Role of Collaboration • Collaboration as an Engine for Innovation • Creates a shared understanding and increases knowledge development • Very important to organization’s innovative capabilities

12. Virtual Collaboration: Framework • The Need for a New Framework • There are many factors that affect the effectiveness of a virtual team • Leaders and members create conditions that support effectiveness • Design Factors • Must contribute to the establishment of enabling conditions that increase effectiveness • Factors help create the right support conditions

13. Design Factors • Four Design Factors: • 1. Organization and Team Structure • 2. Information Technology • 3. Team Members • 4. Team and Work Processes • Additional Help • Factors within factors?

14. Design Factors Continued • Organizational and Team Structures • Goals • Leadership • Task Design • Social Structure • Objectives: • Decrease power and hierarchical issues • Acquire a full representation of the team

15. Design Factors Continued • Information Technology • Tools for electronic communication provide the infrastructure for virtual collaboration • What types? • When and how used? • Access? • Low Tech vs. High Tech • Which is the preference?

16. Design Factors Continued • Team Members • Goal is to facilitate knowledge capture and sharing • Laterality • Tolerance for Ambiguity • Abilities • Efficacy Beliefs • External Connections • The Power of Networks • Strength in numbers?

17. Design Factors Continued • Team and Work Processes • Communication • Decision Making • Conflict Resolution • A Call for Caution • Increased opportunity for misunderstandings • Consensus is more difficult to reach • Conflict is more likely to be hidden

18. Enabling Conditions • Enabling Successful Collaboration • Requires careful management of design factors to enable the right conditions. • Three Conditions: • 1. Shared Understanding • 2. Integration • 3. Trust and Supportive Communication Climate

19. Enabling Conditions Continued • Shared Understanding • Important to establish commonalities in beliefs, expectations, and perceptions. • Key Understandings: • Goals • How to Achieve Goals • Tasks • Role and Contribution of Each Team Member

20. Enabling Conditions Continued • Integration and Adjustment • Establishes ways that different parts of an organization can work together • Goals of Integration • Create Value • Develop Products • Deliver Services

21. Enabling Conditions Continued • Trust and Supportive Communication Climate • Mutual trust and support in the team • Why is this so important? • Tremendous Differences • Interpersonal Cues • Making Impressions About Team Members

22. A Brief Summary • Amplification of Teamwork Benefits • Increased Efficiency • Must Leverage Enabling Conditions

23. Final Thoughts • Definitive Benefits of Teamwork • Can it be disputed? • Virtual vs. Co-Located Teams • What if you don’t get it right? • The Future of Virtual Collaboration • Will the ubiquitous adaptation to new technologies render current strategies obsolete?

24. References • Badrinarayanan, Vishag, and Arnett, Dennis B. (2008). Effective Virtual New Product Development Teams: An Integrated Framework. The Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing. (pp. 242-248). • Gibson, C.B. (2011). Collaborating with Virtuality: Leveraging Enabling Conditions to Improve Team Effectiveness. In Joyce S. Osland and Marlene E. Turner (Eds.), The Organizational Behavior Reader. (pp.298-309). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall. • Gibson, C.B., and Cohen, S.G. (2003). Virtual Teams That Work: Creating Conditions for Virtual Team Effectiveness. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. • Gressgard, Leif Jarle. (2010). Virtual Team Collaboration and Innovation in Organizations. Team Performance Management. Vol. 17, No. ½, 2011. (pp. 102-119). • Ocker, Rosalie J., and Fjermestad, Jerry. (2008). Communication Differences in Virtual Design Teams: Findings from a Multi-Method Analysis of High and Low Performing Experimental Teams. Database for Advance Information Systems. 39. 1. February 2008. (pp. 51-67).

25. Thank You Questions?