Virtual team

A virtual team (also known as a geographically dispersed team, distributed team, or remote team[1]) usually refers to a group of individuals who work together from different geographic locations and rely on communication technology[2] such as email, instant messaging, and video or voice conferencing services in order to collaborate.[3][4][5][6][7] The term can also refer to groups or teams that work together asynchronously or across organizational levels.[8][9] Powell, Piccoli and Ives (2004) define virtual teams as "groups of geographically, organizationally and/or time dispersed workers brought together by information and telecommunication technologies to accomplish one or more organizational tasks."[10] As documented by Gibson (2020), virtual teams grew in importance and number during 2000-2020, particularly in light of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic which forced many workers to collaborate remotely with each other as they worked from home.[11]

As the proliferation of fiber optic technology has significantly increased the scope of off-site communication,  there has been a tremendous increase in both the use of virtual teams and scholarly attention devoted to understanding how to make virtual teams more effective (see Stanko & Gibson, 2009;[12] Hertel, Geister & Konradt, 2005;[13] and Martins, Gilson & Maaynard, 2004[6] for reviews). When utilized successfully, virtual teams allow companies to procure the best expertise without geographical restrictions,[14] to integrate information, knowledge, and resources from a broad variety of contexts within the same team,[15] and to acquire and apply knowledge to critical tasks in global firms.[16][17][18] According to Hambley, O'Neil, & Kline (2007), "virtual teams require new ways of working across boundaries through systems, processes, technology, and people, which requires effective leadership."[18] Such work often involves learning processes such as integrating and sharing different location-specific knowledge and practices, which must work in concert for the multi-unit firm to be aligned.[19][20][21][22] Yet, teams with a high degree of "virtuality" are not without their challenges,[7] and when managed poorly, they often underperform face-to-face (FTF) teams.[12]

In light of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, many industries experienced a rapid and overnight transition to virtual work as a result of "social distancing."[11] However, some scholars have argued the phrase "social distancing" in reference to the practice of physical distancing between colleagues may have dangerous connotations, potentially increasing prejudice based on age or ethnicity, isolation due to limited options for interpersonal contact, and hopelessness, given the focus on prohibitions rather than solutions.[11] Today, most work teams have become virtual to some degree, though the literature has yet to incorporate the dynamic urgency of the pandemic and the impacts of rapid-fire learning of new technology and communication skills.[11]

  1. ^ Nevogt, Dave. "No Excuses: The Definitive Guide to Building a Remote Team: Table of Contents". Hubstaff. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  2. ^ Lipnack, Jessica (2000) [1997]. Virtual Teams: People Working Across Boundaries with Technology. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 352. ISBN 978-0471388258.
  3. ^ Gibson, Cristina B.; Gibbs, Jennifer L. (September 2006). "Unpacking the Concept of Virtuality: The Effects of Geographic Dispersion, Electronic Dependence, Dynamic Structure, and National Diversity on Team Innovation". Administrative Science Quarterly. 51 (3): 451–495. doi:10.2189/asqu.51.3.451. ISSN 0001-8392. S2CID 10856839.
  4. ^ Gibson, C. B., and S. G. Cohen (2003). Virtual Teams That Work: Creating Conditions for Virtual Collaboration Effectiveness. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
  5. ^ Griffith, Terri L.; Sawyer, John E.; Neale, Margaret A. (2003). "Virtualness and Knowledge in Teams: Managing the Love Triangle of Organizations, Individuals, and Information Technology". MIS Quarterly. 27 (2): 265–287. doi:10.2307/30036531. ISSN 0276-7783. JSTOR 30036531.
  6. ^ a b Martins, L. L., L. L. Gilson, and M. T. Maynard 2004 "Virtual teams: What do we know and where do we go from here?" Journal of Management, 30: 805–835.
  7. ^ a b Kirkman, Bradley L.; Mathieu, John E. (2005-10-01). "The Dimensions and Antecedents of Team Virtuality". Journal of Management. 31 (5): 700–718. doi:10.1177/0149206305279113. ISSN 0149-2063. S2CID 993996.
  8. ^ Ale Ebrahim, Nader; Ahmed, Shamsuddin; Taha, Zahari (2009). "Virtual R&D Teams in Small and Medium Enterprises: A Literature Review". Scientific Research and Essays. 4 (13): 1575–1590. SSRN 1530904.
  9. ^ Vlaar, P (2008). "Co Creating Understanding And Value In Distributed Work". MIS Quarterly. 32 (2): 227–255. doi:10.2307/25148839. JSTOR 25148839.
  10. ^ Anne Powell, Gabriele Piccoli, and Blake Ives. Virtual teams: a review of current literature and directions for future research. The DATA BASE for Advances in Information Systems - Winter Vol. 35, issue 1, 2004
  11. ^ a b c d Gibson, Cristina (2020). "From "Social Distancing" to "Care in Connecting": An Emerging Organizational Research Agenda for Turbulent Times". Academy of Management Discoveries. 6 (2): 165–169. doi:10.5465/amd.2020.0062. S2CID 218780744.
  12. ^ a b Stanko, T. L., C. B. Gibson. 2009. Virtuality here and now: The role of cultural elements in virtual teams. R. S. Bhagat, R. M. Steers, eds. Cambridge Handbook of Culture, Organization, and Work. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 272–304.
  13. ^ Hertel, G., Geister, S., & Konradt, U. (2005). Managing virtual teams: A review of current empirical research. Human Resource Management Review, 15(1), 69–95.
  14. ^ Kirkman, B. L., B. Rosen, C. B. Gibson, P. E. Tesluk, and S. O. McPherson (2002). "Five challenges to virtual team success: Lessons from Sabre, Inc." Academy of Management Executive, 16 (3): 67–79.
  15. ^ Kirkman B. L., Gibson C. B., & Kim K. (2012) Across borders and technologies: Advancements in virtual teams research. Kozlowski SW, eds. Oxford Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, (New York: Oxford University Press) vol. 1: 789-858.
  16. ^ Madhavan, Ravindranath; Grover, Rajiv (1998). "From Embedded Knowledge to Embodied Knowledge: New Product Development as Knowledge Management". Journal of Marketing. 62 (4): 1–12. doi:10.2307/1252283. ISSN 0022-2429. JSTOR 1252283.
  17. ^ Sole, Deborah; Edmondson, Amy (2002). "Situated Knowledge and Learning in Dispersed Teams" (PDF). British Journal of Management. 13 (S2): S17–S34. doi:10.1111/1467-8551.13.s2.3. ISSN 1467-8551. S2CID 16422610.
  18. ^ a b Virtual team, Mastering virtual teams: strategies, tools, and techniques that succeed By Deborah L. Duarte, Nancy Tennant Snyder
  19. ^ Gibson, Cristina B; Dunlop, Patrick D; Raghav, Sonia (2021-04-01). "Navigating identities in global work: Antecedents and consequences of intrapersonal identity conflict". Human Relations. 74 (4): 556–586. doi:10.1177/0018726719895314. ISSN 0018-7267. S2CID 213451784.
  20. ^ Maloney, Mary M.; Zellmer-Bruhn, Mary E. (2006). "Building bridges, windows and cultures: Mediating mechanisms between team heterogeneity and performance in global teams". Management International Review. 46 (6): 697–720. doi:10.1007/s11575-006-0123-5 ISSN 1861-8901.
  21. ^ Martin, Jeffrey A.; Eisenhardt, Kathleen M. (2010-04-01). "Rewiring: Cross-Business-Unit Collaborations in Multibusiness Organizations". Academy of Management Journal. 53 (2): 265–301. doi:10.5465/amj.2010.49388795. ISSN 0001-4273.
  22. ^ Nurmi, Niina; Hinds, Pamela J (August 2016). "Job complexity and learning opportunities: A silver lining in the design of global virtual work". Journal of International Business Studies. 47 (6): 631–654. doi:10.1057/jibs.2016.11. ISSN 0047-2506. S2CID 167543204.