Abstract: Given the growing use of global virtual teams, one important factor to consider when examining team performance is the cultural backgrounds of the dispersed team members. Two hundred forty-three team members from universities in the United States and Hong Kong were administered three survey questionnaires during a series of virtual team projects. Results revealed that regardless of cultural background, team members reported less confidence in their ability to work in virtual team environments than traditional face-to-face environments and that team members from individualistic cultures reported higher self-efficacy beliefs (both group self-efficacy and virtual team self-efficacy) than team members from collectivist cultures. Furthermore, when the reference for efficacy beliefs changed from the individual to the group, the magnitude of change was greater for the collectivist versus individualistic team members. Implications and future research are also discussed.

Abstract: Recent information systems research has studied various aspects of virtual teams. However, the foundations and theoretical development of virtual team research remain unclear. We propose that an important way to move forward is to accelerate the process of theorizing and theory appropriation. This article presents an in-depth analysis of the current state of the art of theory application and development in virtual team research. We identify the frequency, pattern of use, and ontological basis of 25 virtual team-relevant theories. A researcher’s tool kit is presented to promote future theory application and appropriation. The tool kit consists of a descriptive and analytical database of theories relevant for virtual team research. We also present a framework for appropriating virtual team theories based on seven criteria. A detailed example demonstrates the application of the theory appropriation framework. The article contributes to the literature by presenting the state of the art of theory use in virtua...

Abstract: Are virtual worlds more or less effective for virtual team collaboration? We suggest that the answer to this question is complicated and dependent upon a number of factors, and we propose a research agenda with theoretical bases to guide researchers in the area of virtual team collaboration for the next seven to ten years While virtual teams are increasingly used by organizations, there has been little systematic research done to understand how collaboration in virtual worlds compares to collaboration supported by other media, or how characteristics of virtual teams influence the collaboration process and outcomes The research agenda that we propose looks at basic differences between virtual worlds and other media, but also includes consideration of the specific contextual factors, and the influence that leadership might have on the collaboration process and outcomes

Abstract: Trust Aspects in Collaboration.- Towards Establishing Trust Relationships among Organizations in VBEs.- Fostering R&D Collaboration - The Interplay of Trust, Appropriability and Absorptive Capacity.- Trust Building in Collaborative Networked Organizations Supported by Communities of Practice.- Performance and Value Systems.- Measuring Collaboration Performance in Virtual Organizations.- A Conceptual Model for Virtual Breeding Environments Value Systems.- Towards a Conceptual Model of Value Systems in Collaborative Networks.- Collaboration Network Analysis.- Network Analysis by the Codesnet Approach.- Assessment of Collaborative Networks Structural Stability.- A Decision Support Framework for Collaborative Networks.- VO Breeding Environment Enablers.- Towards Governance Rules and Bylaws for Virtual Breeding Environments.- Enabling Virtual Organizations in a Technological District.- In Search for an Innovative Business Model or How to be Successful in the Nowadays Business Environment.- The Role of Universities Developing New Collaborative Environments: Analysing the Virtuelle Fabrik, Swiss Microtech and the Tenet Group.- Elements of Breeding Environments Management.- Ontology Engineering in Virtual Breeding Environments.- Causal Cross-Impact Analysis as Strategic Planning Aid for Virtual Organisation Breeding Environments.- Assessing the Value of Mediators in Collaborative Business Networks.- VO Creation.- A Computer-Assisted VO Creation Framework.- Collaboration Opportunity Finder.- An Ontology-Based Approach for Selecting Performance Indicators for Partners Suggestion.- Multiple Criteria Partner Selection in Virtual Enterprises.- e-Contracting in Collaborative Network Scenarios.- Fundaments of Virtual Organization E-contracting.- Intelligent Contracting: Software Agents, Corporate Bodies and Virtual Organizations.- Agent-Based Contracting in Virtual Enterprises.- A Lawful Framework for Distributed Electronic Markets.- Learning and Inheritance in VO.- Towards Learning Collaborative Networked Organizations.- Identification of Forms and Components of VO Inheritance.- Establishing and Keeping Inter-Organisational Collaboration. Some Lessons Learned.- Architectures for Collaboration.- A Generic Strategic Layer for Collaborative Networks.- A Privacy-Based Brokering Architecture for Collaboration in Virtual Environments.- Virtual Power Producers Integration into Mascem.- Agent-Based Architecture for Virtual Enterprises to Support Agility.- Modelling Frameworks for Collaborative Networks.- Towards an Architecture Modeling Language for Networked Organizations.- Evolving Virtue.- Business Modelling for Knowledge Networks.- Business Benefits in Networks.- Distribution of Network Generated Profit by considering Individual Profit Expectations.- An Estimation Model for Business Benefits in Horizontal Collaborative Networks.- Examining the Antecedents to Innovation in Electronic Networks of Practice.- Professional Virtual Communities.- Support for Power in Adaptation of Social Protocols for Professional Virtual Communities.- Understanding Users' Response to Ontology Based Systems in the Context of an Enterprise Sponsored Virtual Community.- Continuous Management of Professional Virtual Community Inheritance Based on the Adaptation of Social Protocols.- Customer Involvement in Networks.- Virtual Customer Communities: An Innovative Case from the Media Industry.- The Impact of Customer Participation on Business Ecosystems.- Supporting Collaborative Work through Wireless Technologies Support in Patient Centric Virtual Organizations (PCVOS).- Social Network Analysis.- Social Network Analysis of Team Dynamics and Intra-Organizational Development in an Aerospace Firm.- The Tacit Dimensions of Collaborative Network Traffic.- Collaborative Services to Maintain Electronic Business Relationships.- Interoperability in Networks.- Towards Seamless Interoperability in Collaborative Networks.- Barriers Driven Methodology for Enterprise Interoperability.- Ambient Intelligence and Simulation in Health Care Virtual Scenarios.- Collaboration within the Tool-and-Die Manufacturing Industry through Open-Source Modular ERP/CRM Systems.- Collaborative Process Models.- A Cartography Based Methodology for Collaborative Process Definition.- Interactive User-Centered Business Process Managementservices.- Workflow Technology Supporting the Operation of Virtual ISPS.- Process Integration and Management.- Introducing a Collaborative Business Model for European ERP Value Chains of SMEs.- Integrated Construction Project Management System Based on IFC and ISO9001:2000.- Enhancing Enterprise Collaboration by Using Multifaceted Services.- Web Services and Fusion.- Application of the Fusion Approach for Assisted Composition of Web Services.- Semantic Integration of Business Applications across Collaborative Value Networks.- Web Service Discovery in a Semantically Extended UDDI Registry: The Case of Fusion.- Collaboration Environments Cases.- Supporting Mobile Virtual Team's Coordination with SOA-Based Active Entities.- Collaborative Environments Work: A Case Study of Teacher Training.- A Knowledge Search Framework for Collaborative Networks.- Product-Oriented Collaboration.- Maintaining Dynamic Product Designs to Enable Effective Consortium Building in Virtual Breeding Environments.- Distributed Design of Product Oriented Manufacturing Systems.- Virtual Organisation in Cross Domain Engineering.- Adaptive Collaborative Frameworks.- Collaboration and Adaptation in Scheduling.- Virtual Organizations for Municipalities.- A Service Infrastructure to Support Ubiquitous Engineering Practices.- Evaluation and Management of Collaborative Supply Networks.- Engineering Methodology for Organisation Networks.- A Procedure for the Analysis of Industrial Networks.- The Evaluation of Coordination Policies in Logistics Services Markets.- Business Models for Collaborative Planning in Transportation: An Application to Wood Products.- Providing Transparency in the Business of Software: A Modeling Technique for Software Supply Networks.

Abstract: This paper aims to present an analysis between teams’ co-location and project performance. In order to achieve product development project success many decisions shall be made before the project kick-off. One of these decisions is to whether co-locate or not the project team. But, what are the effects of teams’ co-location on project performance? The paper provides a literature review about teams’ co-location, its advantages and disadvantages, virtual teams and project performance parameters. A table is then proposed to be used as a guide to determine the degree of success of projects. This paper also presents a case study where 3 pairs of similar New Product Development (NPD) projects were analyzed. In each pair of cases, the first NPD occurred using a co-located team and, in the second case, a virtual team (not co-located team) was adopted. The project performance parameters for each case were identified using the proposed table from which we concluded that co-located teams appears to deliver better performance at least in the “internal project efficiency” parameters. Further research involving a larger sample of cases is still necessary to confirm these conclusions.

Abstract: Globalization of operations, reduced time to market, increased need to respond quickly to customers’ needs worldwide and reduced cost of operations have encouraged many business organizations to adopt global virtual teams for their business activities. In this study, we explore a comprehensive model consisting of different variables that impact performance of such global virtual teams and validate it through an exploratory experiment conducted in an academic setting. Preliminary analysis indicates that trust between team members and communication effectiveness of the teams has significant positive correlation with the success of virtual team projects. Moreover, the participants perceived the virtual team project success positively. They also were positively oriented about their learning from participating in such virtual team projects. Motivation of team members is highly correlated with team members’ learning effectiveness. Implications of these findings for businesses and curriculum development are discussed.

Abstract: We examine the role of face-to-face meetings in the context of technology-supported self-organizing distributed (or virtual teams), specifically free/libre open source software (FLOSS) development teams. Based on a qualitative inductive analysis of data from interviews and observations at FLOSS conferences, we identify a variety of settings in which developers meet face-to-face, and we point out the activities performed in these settings and the benefits obtained. Contrary to conventional wisdom about distributed teams, FLOSS developers generally do not meet face-to-face until the project is well under way. An additional benefit of face-to-face meetings is time away from a regular job and speed of interaction for certain kinds of tasks.

Abstract: Given the requirement for software engineering graduates to operate in Global Software Development (GSD) environments, educators need to develop teaching methods to enhance and instill GSD knowledge in their students. In this paper, we discuss two projects that provided students with a first-hand learning experience of working within GSD teams. One project was with Siemens Corporate Research, whose focus was to shadow the development of a real-life GSD project. The second project, whose focus was virtual team software testing, was carried out in collaboration with Ball State University. In parallel with these projects we undertook qualitative research during which we analyzed students' own written reflections and face-to-face interviews that focused on their learning experiences in these contexts. We identified three specific forms of learning which had taken place: pedagogical, pragmatic and the acquisition of specific globally distributed knowledge. Our findings confirm that mimicking real work settings has educational benefits for problem-based learning environments.

Abstract: Collaboration technologies (CTs) are making it feasible for organizations to rapidly bring together dispersed Corkers into virtual teams that perform a variety of tasks. Group support systems (GSS) are a type of CT that is often deployed to facilitate virtual team operations, which typically involve an exchange of knowledge among team members. This paper builds on Nonaka's theory of organizational knowledge creation, and other research, to present a theoretical framework that links the factors that are most relevant to knowledge conversion in GSS-aided virtual teams. The paper advances some research propositions that suggest a positive contribution of GSS to knowledge conversion and the levels of shared understanding and performance that could emerge in virtual teams. In addition, the propositions indicate positive relationships between member perceptions of the virtual work environment, their willingness to share knowledge, and the processes of knowledge conversion in those teams

Abstract: Drawing on Rogers' diffusion of innovations theory, specifically his innovation decision process model, this paper develops a research framework that identifies the accelerators and inhibitors of virtual world technology adoption. Categorized by level of analysis, specific factors influencing the adoption of virtual world technology by organizations are identified. At the individual level of analysis, factors such as the technology's ease of use and usefulness, as well as the individual's computer self-efficacy, trust, and enjoyment are discussed in terms of their "bottom-up" influence on technology diffusion. At the group level of analysis, different forms of group efficacy (such as computer collective efficacy and virtual team efficacy) are suggested to play a role in virtual world technology adoption and diffusion. Further, group-level technology acceptance factors (including a priori beliefs and attitudes toward the technology, as well as psychosocial variables) are proposed to influence a group's overall valence toward the technology, driving the adoption of the technology Finally, at the organizational level of analysis, technical compatibility, technical complexity, and relative advantage are explored as major factors influencing an organization's willingness to adopt virtual world technology through "top-down" diffusion that follows specific isomorphic processes. Finally, the role of organizational culture is also discussed. Through the identification and discussion of innovation diffusion factors which occur at different levels of analysis and at different stages of the innovation decision process, this study provides a framework for studying the adoption, spread, and continual use of virtual world technology.

Abstract: Purpose – To provide a conceptual model for the discovery and articulation of emergent organizational knowledge, particularly knowledge that develops when people work with new technologies.Design/methodology/approach – The model is based on two widely accepted research methods – action learning and grounded theory – and is illustrated using a case study of virtual team leadership, which investigated how virtual team leaders developed relationships with their virtual team members.Findings – The article demonstrates how action learning and grounded theory – two widely accepted research methods – can be used to discover and articulate new organizational knowledge.Practical implications – The model allows organizations to gain practical and highly current experiential knowledge from employees working in novel situations, including those using new organizational processes and technologies. Such knowledge can provide competitive advantage.Originality/value – The article contributes to the areas of knowledge man...

Abstract: As globalisation continues concurrent with mergers and acquisitions, transnational organisations are increasingly turning to the use of virtual teams in which members collaborate through technology-mediated interaction. Although collocated teams and virtual teams share many common characteristics including performance measures, the nature of the environments differ along several dimensions. In particular, members of virtual teams cooperate on global projects while resident in their home geographies and cultures and using various technologies to facilitate. From that context, this field study investigated virtual team performance using organisational culture as a framework.

Abstract: Research is beginning to accumulate for proximal and virtual team-based work. However, little if any research has examined the effects of the degrees of virtualization on performance, yet purely proximal or virtual teamwork in most professional organizations is becoming rare. This field study examined the effects of virtualization on social influences and social identity factors, and these effects on performance. We found nonlinear relationships between virtualization and cohesion, and virtualization and conflict. Task-relationship orientation and social-technical skills were also found to interact with virtualization on performance. Consequently, recommendations are made regarding hybridization of teams.

Abstract: In today’s competitive environment, successful organizations that are able to utilize advanced information technology to establish a dynamic form to adapt to the ever-changing landscape and customer requirements always gain a competitive advantage in global competition (Porter & Lilly, 1996). The virtual team has become one of the building blocks of a successful organization. In this article, a virtual team is defined as ‘‘a group of people with complementary competencies executing simultaneous, collaborative work processes through electronic media without regard to geographic location’’ (Chinowsky & Rojas, 2003, p. 98). Virtual teams can offer a range of benefits to organizations, among them encouraging constructive dialogue and knowledge, nurturing a community of workers, triggering deeper processing of content through interaction, and offering flexible adaptation to complex tasks (Duarte & Snyder, 1999; Conrad & Donaldson, 2004; Palloff & Pratt, 2005; Lee, Bonk, Magjuka, Su, & Liu, 2006). However, a virtual team can also face challenges and issues that must be addressed for a successful team operation. From existing telework research, Workman, Kahnweiler, and Bommer (2001) summarize three attributes of virtual environments that are barriers to successful virtual collaboration: elevated ambiguity, increased isolation, and a less-structured environment. For example, in virtual environments lack of informal interactions, the constraints of dispersed asynchronous communication context, and limited capabilities of transmitting social

Abstract: This article explores the structural foundations of leadership and performance in virtual project teams. In an experimental business case, the article demonstrates the effect of structural brokerage in team communication on leadership and team performance. This research suggests that social roles as well as the acknowledgement of leadership and performance are conditional to the way individuals and teams relate to their environment. It supports structural hole theory in that leaders and a winner team achieved the highest values of flow betweenness and network efficiency. Strategically, managers of virtual knowledge networks should focus their attention not only on the qualifications of individuals, but also on communication structures within their work groups.

Abstract: There has been considerable growth in the use of virtual teams in the past decade, and further growth is broadly assumed as this practice is driven by globalization. Researchers investigating virtual teams describe problems these teams encounter, assert that training for virtual team assignments is necessary, and offer suggestions on the issues that such training should address. Further evidence of the need for such training is that a fortune 100 company employed one of the authors to interview their employees and develop the initial version of a virtual team training simulation for their use. The 'virtual team challenge' simulation, an updated version of that simulation, is being used in the Rose-Hulman Project Management course. Participants face problems similar to those reported as they manage a simulated project with virtual team members. Participants receive advice and are guided to adopt best practices as defined by our literature review and those offered by the client. Playing time is two to three hours. This presentation includes a literature review, an overview of the simulation (including screen shots), and reports on initial use results.

Abstract: Virtual project teams introduce new challenges for project managers tasked with the job of delivering project success. One such challenge is the development and maintenance of trust within the virtual environment. The paper explores the role that trust plays in virtual project teams and investigates how trust influences project outcomes. A model of trust in the virtual team environment is proposed and tested using data collected from a survey of members of the Project Management Institute. Analysis of the data showed that virtual team trust predicted project success, however swift trust and perceived traditional experience did not have any influence on virtual team trust. Based on the results of the study, the paper explores and recommends strategies to develop and maintain trust to a level that promotes the success of virtual team projects.

Abstract: An understanding of the different strengths that people bring to teams helps both individuals and team members to be their “best selves.” People can feel confident in the team roles that they bring to team working, and appreciate that other people bring different strengths. The theory of Belbin team roles gives people a language with which to talk about their differences as well as to appreciate their “allowable weaknesses.”

Abstract: This paper explores the critical role conversational coherence plays in facilitating the ongoing, distributed work of one virtual team as they engage in instant messaging (IM) conversations to communicate, coordinate, and collaborate. In studying the IM conversations of team members over the course of a month, a number of challenges to coherence emerged as they communicated with each other and worked together. These challenges include two previously identified challenges - lack of simultaneous feedback, and disrupted turn adjacency - and two additional challenges: multi-tasking, and authority. We describe the team's responses to these challenges and conclude by discussing implications for research

Abstract: Collaborative networks offer a high potential for survival and value creation in enterprises under turbulent market conditions. Collaboration manifests in a large variety of forms, including virtual organizations, virtual enterprises, dynamic supply chains, professional virtual communities, etc. In order to support preparedness of enterprises for participation in such dynamic coalitions, breeding environments for virtual organizations are being developed in many application sectors. A large body of empiric knowledge related to collaborative networks is already available, but only recently the research community started to focus on the consolidation of this knowledge and building the foundations for a more sustainable development of the area. The definition of reference models and the establishment of a scientific discipline for collaborative networks are strong instruments in achieving this purpose. In this paper a brief survey of the main characteristics of the area is presented, current baseline is discussed, and future trends are pointed out.

Abstract: The limits of human multitasking capabilities in intense conditions are well understood. However, little is known about how increasing and continuous multitasking impacts innovation in virtual teams. During this investigation, we developed a construct called virtual distance to understand how both perceived and physical distance impacts innovation on virtual teams and applied it to 223 individuals and mangers at seventeen organizations. We then explored virtual distance as a moderator of the relationship between multitasking and innovation. Our results showed that virtual distance has a significant and negative relationship to innovation. We farther found that virtual distance significantly moderated the relationship between multitasking and innovation. When virtual distance is low, there is a positive relationship and when virtual distance is high, there is a significant curvilinear relationship. The results have implications for the selection of virtual team members and virtual project management activities when critical project outcomes include innovation

Abstract: In today’s rapidly changing global work environment, all workers directly experience increased organizational complexity. Companies are functionally distributed, many across the globe. Intense competition for markets and margins makes adaptiveness and innovation imperative. Information and communication technologies (ICT) are pervasive and fundamental infrastructures, their use deeply integrated into work processes. Workers collaborate electronically with co-workers they may never meet face-to-face or with employees of other companies. New boundaries of time, space, business unit, culture, company partnerships, and software tools are driving the adoption of a variety of novel organizational forms. On a macro-level, these changes have started to reshape society, leading some to speak of the “Network Society” and the “Information Age.”

Abstract: The growth of globalisation, the explosion of new technology and the advent of the knowledge and information era have crafted an unprecedented corporate landscape, which the business environment has never seen before. As a result, organisations have been faced with an emerging paradigm that is growing in pace and intensity - a workplace that has no walls or boundaries; one which enables individuals to work in different parts of the world, aided by information and communication technologies (ICTs) that have become more sophisticated and hi-tech (Brake, 2005). This paradigm has created a series of challenges for organisational leaders - the biggest of which is keeping up to date with ever-increasing, and diverse, change.Going GlobalThe 21st Century has witnessed a significant increase in the number of organisations that have expanded their operations globally through the formation of strategic alliances, joint ventures and subsidiaries (Prasad & Akhilesh, 2002). The push to 'go global' has emanated from a number of internal and external organisational pressures, such as:* the need to become more competitive by bringing innovative products and services to the global market better and faster than competitors;* the need to access markets outside their domestic comfort zone;« the need to access intellectual capital resources and diverse knowledge from around the world.The nature of work conducted in organisations has started to shift from traditional, production-based operations to a more service-oriented focus, enabling a new breed of worker - the knowledge worker (Drucker 1999) - to pool their intellectual capital resources to achieve key organisational objectives and strategies (wikibooks.com, 2007). The difference between traditional workers and the new worker paradigm is that the latter is free from the shackles of a fixed work location. The collection of individuals who work together, regardless of their geographical and physical location, is referred to as a 'global virtual team'.A new phenomenon and a virtual challengeAlthough the concept of global virtual teams (GVTs) has been described as a "relatively new phenomenon" (Sivakumar & Nakata, 2003:397), their use by organisations is a growing trend. According to Axel (1 997), a survey of firms identified that almost three-fifths are using GVTs to undertake a variety of tasks. Moreover, nearly two-thirds of firms stated that use of these teams has led to new product and service innovation.It certainly sounds impressive. But, are global virtual teams as virtuous as they appear? There are both benefits and constraints, as outlined in the panel.As global virtual teams differ in many ways to traditional, physical teams, they require a different management approach requiring an appreciation of the benefits and constraints, as highlighted above, and a proactive approach to ensuring that the success of the team is facilitated. …

Abstract: This paper describes the concept of mutual knowledge and its potential impact on virtual team performance. Based on an analysis of extant literature, we argue that there is a gap in our understanding of what is known about mutual knowledge as it impacts team dynamics and virtual team performance. Supporting literature, anecdotes, and case studies are used to discuss the importance of mutual knowledge for virtual team performance and the research issues that need to be addressed in the future.

Abstract: This paper presents the results of a case study pertaining to the use of information and communication media to support a range of project management tasks. A variety of electronic communication tools have evolved to support collaborative work and virtual teams. Few of these tools have focused specifically on the needs of project managers. In an effort to learn how practicing IT project managers employ these tools, data were collected at a North American Fortune 500 industrial company via interviews with IT project managers regarding their use and perceptions of electronic media within the context of their work on project teams. In this study, "virtual" describes the extent to which communication is electronic rather than the extent to which team members are. geographically separated. Although the number of respondents was limited, the richness of the data collected leads to the conclusion that successful project managers and teams become skilled at adapting a variety of existing communication technologies to match the project task or process, the receiver, their own role as sender, and the content of the message. Groupware designers and developers need to better understand project management methods and best practices in order to provide better tools for practitioners, particularly as organizations expand globally and increasingly outsource various functions of their IT development and operations.

Abstract: This research examined the antecedents and consequences of identification with virtual teams. Specifically, we hypothesized that two structural characteristics (number of faceto-face meetings and task interdependence) and perceived quality of interaction (procedural and distributive justice) would be positively related to identification with the virtual team. A further hypothesis was that team identification would have a positive relationship to extra-role behaviors towards the virtual team. The results from our study, based on a sample of 102 employees of Finnish-based companies, gave partial support for these hypotheses. We found that task interdependence and procedural justice were positively related to team identification. Moreover, team identification mediated the relationship between task interdependence and extra-role behaviors and the relationship between procedural justice and extra-role behaviors as we predicted. We discuss our findings in terms of research on virtual teams, social identity, and organizational justice.