Collaborating with Virtuality: Leveraging Enabling Conditions

to Improve Team Effectiveness.

Written by Cristina Gibson Presented by Rhyan Paquette

Group Dynamics & Work Teams

Cristina B. Gibson Bio

1990•B.A. from

Scripps College; Claremont, CA.

•Major: Psychology

1995 •Ph.D. from

University of California, Irvine.

•Major: Organizational Behavior

Positions Held

• 1995-1998- Assistant Professor of Management at the University of Wisconsin, Madison

• 1998-2003- Associate Research Professor at The Center for Effective Organizations, USC.

• 2003-2007- Associate Professor, University of California, Irvine.

• 2007-Present- Full Professor, University of California, Irvine at the Paul Merage School of Business

Professional Affiliations

• Academy of Management

• Academy of International Business

• Society for Industrial Organization Behavior

Accomplishments

Published 34 Articles

2 Books

Virtual Teams that Work

Multinational Teams

Article Shortfall

• The following portions of Chapter 11 that is covered does not differentiate between “Groups” and “Teams.”

• According to Katzenbach and Smith (1993), “Team” has replaced “group” in organizational psychology. They have determined that, “a group becomes a team when they develop a sense of shared commitment and strive for synergy among members.”

Group Vs. Team

• Assuming we believe the previous statement about a group morphing into a team, how long or when does this transformation from group to team take place?

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OUTLINE

•Development of Technology

•Virtual Teams

• 4 Factors that make virtual teams unique • Electronic Dependence

• Geographic Dispersion

• Cultural Diversity

• Dynamic Structure

OUTLINE

Framework for Virtual Collaboration

• Design Factors• Context, team structure, technologies

• Enabling Conditions• Shared Understanding & Identity, Integration &

Adjustment, • Trust & Supportive Communication Climate

• Outcomes• Business • Human

•Conclusion

Development of Technology

• Allows people to collaborate from almost any location and has contributed to the increasing use of Virtual Teams.

• “Virtual Team”• Is a collection of individuals who are

interdependent in their tasks, who share responsibility for outcomes, who see themselves and are viewed by others as a team.

1st Factor that makes virtual team unique

1. Electronic Dependencea. Virtual Teams rely on electronically mediated

communication to stay in touch & get work done.

b. Just the use of technology does not make a team “virtual,” it’s the high degree of dependence on technology that makes them virtual.

c. Tools: Telephone, fax, teleconference, e-mail, videoconference, collaborative design tools, knowledge management systems

2nd Factor

2. Geographic Dispersiona. The Second most prominent characteristic of a

virtual team is the high degree of dispersion of the team members.

b. They are often spread over different Cities, Times Zones and Continents.

c. Members of a virtual team need to share information in much greater detail than they would if they worked in the same location.

3rd Factor

3. Cultural Diversitya. Virtuality often brings together members that

represent highly divers groups including different nations, regions, organizations, or professions. Each of which can have there own understanding, beliefs, expectations, and behaviors.

b. Different cultures often view silence, lack of response, and absence differently. These different meanings can have an adverse impact on virtual team members.

Example: London and Chicago virtual meeting and the Hamburger Style of Management.

( Olson & Olson, 2003)

4th Factor

3. Dynamic Structure

• Virtual teams must have the ability to adjust and adapt to changing situations. Participants may be unavailable due to other meetings, or may choose not to attend based on other priorities.

• Therefore a ridged sequence of events cannot be imposed on the work, meetings cannot be structured to assume the presence of any one individual.

• Initial structure, startup, and formation are often more important than with teams that are co-located because they provide common ground and highlight any need to bridge differences and develop basic operating structure.

Framework for Virtual Collaboration

• In order for a Virtual Team to be effective leaders/managers need to create conditions that support effectiveness.

• Comprehensive framework includes:Design Factors that managers facilitate, contribute to the establishment of Enabling Conditions, which in turn increases the effectiveness of the Outcomes.

Features of Virtuality- that amplify the effects of the design factors on enabling conditions

Comprehensive Framework

Design Factors

• Context• How a reward system is structured may make it

more or less likely a team will succeed. The reward must be for the whole group not just an individual; otherwise it could have a detrimental impact on the team.

• Team Structure• Virtual teaming typically lengthens the workday

for team members, and time zone dispersion narrows the window for real time interaction

• Technologies• Can ensure that team member from any

location can effectively coordinate their work. The challenge for mangers is to figure our which technologies are most appropriate for their teams.

Enabling Conditions

• Shared Understanding & Identity• It is important to establish commonalities in

beliefs, expectations, and perceptions

• Integration & Adjustment• At the most basic level, team members need to be

able to send e-mail and communicate through different forms of communication.

• Policies, structure, and systems also shape employees perspective and worldviews on what is and is not important. A high degree of differentiation requires a higher need for integration.

• Trust & Supportive Communication Climate• When team members have established trust with

one another they are more willing to take risks and let their vulnerabilities show.

Outcomes of a Comprehensive

Framework2 Types

• Business Outcomes• Goal achievement, productivity,

timeliness, customer satisfaction, and innovation.

• Human Outcomes• Commitment, Satisfaction,

cohesion, longevity, and the ability to work together in the future.

Conclusion

• Using technology to operate virtaully can magnify the benefits of teamwork. Virtuality reduces the limiting factors of location, allowing the best talent to be applied to solve business problems, create products, and deliver services.

QUESTIONS

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REFERENCES

Katzenbach, J.R., Smith, D.K. (1993). The Discipline of Teams. Harvard Business Review. 71 111–120.

Olson, G.M., & Olson, J.S. (2000). Distance Matters. Human-Computer Interaction, 15(2/3), 139–178.

Web.merage.uci.edu/~cgibson/Gibson%20CV.pdf