...Virtual Teams: A Review of Current Literature and Directions for Future Research1 The DATA BASE for Advances in Information Systems Anne Powell Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Gabriele Piccoli Cornell University Blake Ives University of Houston Winter 2004 (Vol. 35, No. 1) Introduction Global competition, reengineered product life cycles, mass customization, and the increased need to respond quickly to customers’ needs are just some of the more pronounced trends currently driving organizational change (Grenier & Metes, 1995; Miles & Snow, 1986; Miles & Snow, 1992). One of the building blocks of these successful organizations is the Virtual Team. As a consequence, a growing number of organizations are implementing them or plan to implement them in the near future (Lipnack &Stamps, 1997; McDonough et al., 2001) and their use is expected to continue to grow (Carmel & Agarwal, 2001; McDonough et al., 2001). The increasing popularity of virtual teams has spurred a parallel growth in research examining various aspects of virtual team adoption and use. Recent research has studied virtual team inputs, socioemotional processes, task processes, and outcomes. Much of this literature focuses on comparisons of virtual teams and traditional teams. Virtual Teams Traditionally, both the terms “team” and “group” have been used to describe small collections of people at work. While the two terms are often used interchangeably...
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...anxiety, increase decision making skills, etc. Although several models are available to construct imagery scripts, the PEETLEP model offers seven concepts that should improve the delivery system over more traditional oriented approaches. Integrate that model with advances in technology (video capture, podcasts, virtual reality), the sport psychologist has the opportunity to help an athlete enhance their performance like no other time in history. Imagery conducted for sport performance is referred to as sport imagery, but can be used interchangeably with the broader term mental imagery (Taylor and Wilson, 2005). Several other terms including mental practice, mental rehearsal, and visualization have also been used to refer to various components of mental imagery in sport (Morris, Spittle, & Watt, 2005; Taylor and Wilson, 2005; Weinburg & Gould, 2007). Specifically, sport imagery can be defined as using all senses to re-create or create a sport experience in the mind with the goal of enhancing sport performance during training and competition (Morris, Spittle, & Watt, 2005; Vealey & Greenleaf, 2001; Weinberg & Gould, 2007). There is a large amount of empirical evidence that supports that mental imagery works (Liggett, 2000; Moran, 2002; Morris, Spittle, & Watt, 2005; Porter, 2003; Taktek, 2004; Taylor & Wilson, 2005; Vealey & Greenleaf, 2001; Weinberg & Gould, 2007). Anecdotal evidence is also plentiful, including several accounts from well-known...
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...companies tend to choose global virtual team with members of different cultural backgrounds because leaders gradually promote their company to the world. Global projects with using virtual teams are primarily linked through computer and telecommunications technologies across national boundaries. Globalization of the construction industry has brought unique challenges such as coordination among project participants from different countries, and individual’s preferences in decision make and communication. As economic borders between countries come down, cultural barriers will most likely go up and pose new challenges and opportunities for business. Solving the cultural issues has been found to be of crucial importance for the success of virtual teams. This research attempts to characterize cultural differences along the dimension of cultural values and cultural practices Keywords: Virtual global project; Cultural diversity; Project management. Introduction Traditionally, a team-based project requires all team members physically present in a specific location for a period of time. But virtual global project requires a virtual team that members can engage in and deliver projects with limited or no direct physical interaction with other members. It allows multinational enterprises to draw on the widest talent pool available among their global employee base. Team members typically don't need to meet face-to-face, they can use several different virtual meeting applications to conduct...
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...Virtual Worlds: S(t)imulating Creativity in Decision Making Niamh O Riordan, Philip O’Reilly Business Information Systems, University College Cork. Ireland. niamhmoriordan@yahoo.com | philip.oreilly@ucc.ie The significance of the earliest phase of decision making stems from the fact that decision makers 'frame' problems during this phase. These frames shape all subsequent decision making phases (Beach, 1997), fundamentally conditioning decision making outcomes (Daly et al., 2008). Avenues not considered at this stage are unlikely to be considered in the future (Adam, 2008). Further, decision making is most creative at these stages: there is a great deal of uncertainty at play but there are fewer constraints and there is less at stake. This paper argues that virtual worlds offer a potent combination of social, sensory and simulational capabilities that can stimulate creativity in decision making; and it also reports the findings of an investigation of the behavioural and cognitive aspects of creative decision making in Second Life®. The findings illustrate that Second Life users are faced with a kind of "tyranny of freedom": if anything is possible, where does one start? The answer appears to lie in a kind of "retrospective foresight" whereby decision makers draw upon prior experiences and use analogical reasoning to articulate metaphorical systems of thought. ABSTRACT. KEYWORDS: problem definition; framing; creative decision making; virtual worlds Journal of Décision...
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...Abstract This paper rejects the hypothesis of Thomas Friedman that ICT-enabled globalization is driving us toward a flat world. Instead, it is argued that the world remains uneven, full of seams, culturally heterogeneous, locally specific, inequitable, not well-integrated and constantly changing. This argument is supported by an analysis of three areas of ICT-enabled global working, namely global software outsourcing, global IS roll-out, and global virtual teams. The paper then builds on these analyses to put forward an agenda for future IS research on ICTs and global working based on three research themes: identity and cross-cultural working; globalization, localization and standardization; and power, knowledge, and control. The paper concludes that the area of ICTs and global working offers the IS field a major research opportunity to make a significant contribution to our understanding of a set of crucial issues in our more globalized world. Flat world, globalization, global software outsourcing, global IS roll-out, global virtual teams, IS research agenda, identity, cross-cultural working, standardization, power, knowledge, control Keywords 1 INTRODUCTION The changes taking place in the global economy, including those in the burgeoning services component, are the subject of much debate by a wide range of commentators including journalists, practitioners, and academics. In the first of these categories, one book which has enjoyed remarkable success in terms of sales is The...
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...com/locate/jom Disentangling leanness and agility: An empirical investigation Ram Narasimhan a,*, Morgan Swink a, Soo Wook Kim b,1 a Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management, Eli Broad College of Business, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States b College of Business Administration, Seoul National University, San 56-1, Sillim-dong, Kwanak-gu, Seoul, Korea Received 20 May 2004; received in revised form 3 October 2005; accepted 1 November 2005 Available online 19 January 2006 Abstract Manufacturing plant managers have sought performance improvements by adhering to the guiding principles of leanness and agility. Lean manufacturing and agile manufacturing paradigms have also received considerable attention in operations management literature. However, paradoxically, the extant literature is lacking in clarity and fails to delineate with sufficient precision how and why leanness and agility differ. Given the resource constraints within which most manufacturing firms have to operate today, it is useful, if not critical, to develop a good understanding of how these paradigms differ and what their constituent dimensions are. Such an understanding is also essential for developing and testing theories relating to leanness and agility. Through a literature review we discuss leanness and agility in two ways: (1) as manufacturing paradigms and (2) as performance capabilities. Our empirical study attempts to determine whether lean and agile forms occur...
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...Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan 701 R.O.C. Abstract Knowledge management (KM) is very important in the business world of today. The Taiwanese government has recognized the importance of KM in helping small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to innovate through both their internal core competencies and external resources. This study combines the concept of social capital and motivation–opportunity–ability models by both social and technological dimensions to investigate the human factors that characterize knowledge sharing and the motivational elements that can encourage investment in it. In addition, this study also proposes some possible perspective suggestions for implementing KM initiatives to reinvigorate Taiwanese SMEs. C 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Keywords: Knowledge management; Knowledge sharing; Human factor; Taiwanese Enterprises; Small and medium enterprises 1. INTRODUCTION Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) serve as the key economic players in many countries. Davenport, De Long, and Beers (1998) listed eight specific factors for a successful KM project. These factors have been proven in previous studies as competent enablers of successful KM in the SMEs sector (Migdadi, 2009; Wong, 2005; Wong & Aspinwall, 2005). Some of the success factors, such as standard and flexible knowledge structures or a knowledge-friendly culture, require a long development period in organizations....
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...Virtual Teams: A Review of Current Literature and Directions for Future Research1 Anne Powell Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Gabriele Piccoli Cornell University Blake Ives University of Houston Abstract Information technology is providing the infrastructure necessary to support the development of new organizational forms. Virtual teams represent one such organizational form, one that could revolutionize the workplace and provide organizations with unprecedented levels of flexibility and responsiveness. As the technological infrastructure necessary to support virtual teams is now readily available, further research on the range of issues surrounding virtual teams is required if we are to learn how to manage them effectively. While the findings of team research in the traditional environment may provide useful pointers, the idiosyncratic structural and contextual issues surrounding virtual teams call for specific research attention. This article provides a review of previously published work and reports on the findings from early virtual team research in an effort to take stock of the current state of the art. The review is organized around the input – process – output model and categorizes the literature into issues pertaining to inputs, socio-emotional processes, task processes, and outputs. Building on this review we critically evaluate virtual team research and develop research questions that can guide future inquiry in this fertile are of inquiry. ACM Categories:...
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...Issues in Business, Management and Education 2013 Virtual teams: opportunities and challenges for e-leaders Snellman Carita Liliana* a Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Business, Leiritie 1, Vantaa 01600, Finland Abstract In the globalized world with crucial technological changes, leaders are facing unforeseen opportunities as well as challenges while striving to reach their objectives. Such changes have led to organizational restructurings and implied rethinking of leadership functions and practices. Changing organizational structures, from traditional hierarchical towards lower and more flexible ones, have made leaders organize work in new ways. Teams account for one new way of organizing work and reaching organizational goals. Likewise, globalized markets have made leaders search for new solutions to meet the needs of customers. In consequence, organizations strive for competitive advantages through downsizing, subcontracting, joint ventures, strategic alliances, and other collaborative and network-based alternatives which are typically facilitated by virtual teams. Virtual teams are geographically and organizationally dispersed teams that function over time zones. Due to such dispersion, physical contact in virtual teams is reduced or lacking altogether which means that collaboration is enabled by IT-solutions such as computerbased communication. This kind of electronically facilitated team work is known to imply opportunities as well as challenges...
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...Abstract Since its inception in the early 1990s, the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) project has investigated the complex relationship between societal culture and organizational behavior. The focus of this paper is on leadership, specifically what we know and have learned from the GLOBE project so far. Among other findings, we demonstrate that national culture indirectly influences leadership behaviors through the leadership expectations of societies. In other words, executives tend to lead in a manner more or less consistent with the leadership prototypes endorsed within their particular culture. In turn, leaders who behave according to expectations are most effective. We also found that some leadership behaviors are universally effective such as charismatic/value-based leadership; others are much more culturally sensitive such as participative leadership. Finally, we identified truly superior (and also truly inferior) CEOs by the degree to which their behaviors exceed (or fail to meet) their society's expectations. All in all, understanding national culture gives us a heads-up as to which kinds of leadership will likely be enacted and effective in each society. We believe that the GLOBE journey has helped us understand the complex, tricky, and fascinating relationships among societal culture, organizational behavior, and leadership processes. This paper is a celebration of twenty years of collaborative work conducted by more than 200 researchers...
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...that he or she is required to possess. The conclusions drawn will be included. Instructional Design Analysis The definition of Instructional Design is a systematic way to develop instructional materials that are structured well by using objectives, related teaching strategies, systematic feedback and evaluation. It can also be defined as the scientific way to create detail oriented specifications for the design, development, evaluation, and maintenance of instructional material, which facilitates performance and learning. According to Wilson, (2004) instructional design can be defined as a technology, a science, an art or a craft. The instructional designer observes what is happening and collects empirical data in order to improve a particular topic. Empirical data is what the designer observes with their eyes and ears. Principles of the discipline of instructional design Instructional design principles include systematic, interdependent, responsive, systemic, redundant, dynamic, synergistic, cybernetic and creativity. The process is systematic when everything is organized and flows well. Interdependence is when a system’s elements are all connected to the other elements within the system in order to accomplish the main goal. In the context of instructional design,...
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...1 Software Cost Estimation Hareton Leung Zhang Fan Department of Computing The Hong Kong Polytechnic University {cshleung, csfzhang}@comp.polyu.edu.hk Abstract Software cost estimation is the process of predicting the effort required to develop a software system. Many estimation models have been proposed over the last 30 years. This paper provides a general overview of software cost estimation methods including the recent advances in the field. As a number of these models rely on a software size estimate as input, we first provide an overview of common size metrics. We then highlight the cost estimation models that have been proposed and used successfully. Models may be classified into 2 major categories: algorithmic and non-algorithmic. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses. A key factor in selecting a cost estimation model is the accuracy of its estimates. Unfortunately, despite the large body of experience with estimation models, the accuracy of these models is not satisfactory. The paper includes comment on the performance of the estimation models and description of several newer approaches to cost estimation. Keywords: project estimation, effort estimation, cost models. 1. Introduction In recent years, software has become the most expensive component of computer system projects. The bulk of the cost of software development is due to the human effort, and most cost estimation methods focus on this aspect and give estimates in terms of person-months...
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...Theories of Communication – MCM 511 VU LESSON 01 COMMUNICATION Defining communication Communication is seen as central to our everyday ideas about what makes life worth living. It is not surprising that academicians have attempted to unravel the secrets of the communication process. In this section of the study we will examine the theorizing and theories of this discipline of communication. To understand communication theory we need to understand the nature of communication. Nature of communication People define terms in different ways, and those differences in definition can have a profound impact on the extent to which we understand each other and the way we move forward with both academic and everyday pursuits. Given the variety of ways in which words are used and understood, we are often ill-served to search for the single, so-called correct definition of a term. In other words, it is better to evaluate definition in terms of their utility rather than in terms of their correctness. So we should not assume that there is always a single right way to define a concept. There is a great deal of variation in the definitions. Some are very abstract and some are extremely specific. Few definitions are cited below. Communication is the process by which an individual (the communicator) transmits stimuli (usually verbal) to modify the behavior of other individuals (the audience). (Hovland Janis and Kelly in 1953) Communication is the process by which we understand others and in turn...
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...Business Leadership Name Institution Business Leadership Abstract This research examines developments made in the leadership studies, beginning with the early theories made to try explaining the concept of leadership in business. Secondary materials were used as the main sources of data in this research paper. The objective of this research is to discuss leadership literature, the success of different writers work on the topic and its impact on business organizations. The literature review starts with a brief history of leadership and the key developments made during its evolution. The literature review then discusses the first phase of the business, which was before the 20th century followed by what was written in the second phase, which is normally called the neo-classical period. The review ends by giving the most recent developments in the field and the impact they have had on business organizations. The paper looks at leadership styles as the most discussed sub-section of leadership in its literature. This paper ends with a conclusion summarizing the research followed by possible recommendations. The importance of this research is to get data relevant to organizational leadership by analyzing literature development over the years. Introduction The concept of leadership is as old as civilization itself. It started from the ancient times when the organization became an entity and many people started getting together to achieve a certain objective. A leader is...
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...Compiled by Lawrence R. Frey University of Colorado at Boulder Aamodt, M. G., & Kimbrough, W. W. (1982). Effects of group heterogeneity on quality of task solutions. Psychological Review, 50, 171-174. Abbey, D. S. (1982). Conflict in unstructured groups: An explanation from control-theory. Psychological Reports, 51, 177-178. Abele, A. E. (2003). The dynamics of masculine-agentic and feminine-communal traits: Findings from a prospective study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 768-776. Abele, A., Gendolla, G. H. E., & Petzold, P. (1998). Positive mood and in-group—out-group differentiation in a minimal group setting. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 24, 1343-1357. Aberson, C. L., Healy, M., & Romero, V. (2000). Ingroup bias and self-esteem: A meta-analysis. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 4, 157-173. Abougendia, M., Joyce, A. S., Piper, W. E., & Ogrodniczuk, J. S. (2004). Alliance as a mediator of expectancy effects in short-term group psychotherapy. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 8, 3-12. Abraham, A. (1973a). Group tensions as measured by configurations of different self and transself aspects. Group Process, 5, 71-89. Abraham, A. (1973b). A model for exploring intra and interindividual processes in groups. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 23, 3-22. Abraham, A. (1974-1975). Processes in groups. Bulletin de Psychogie, 28, 746-758. Abraham, A., Geffroy, Y., & Ancelin-Schutzenberger, A. (1980). A method...
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