LGO/SDM On-Line Seminar Globally Dispersed Teams

1
LGO/SDM On-Line Seminar Globally Dispersed
Teams

• Jan Klein
• May 2, 2003

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LGO/SDM Research on Virtual or Globally
Dispersed Teams

• Globally Dispersed Team (GDT)
• Team with team members not co-located
• Factors influencing effectives of GDTs?
• Is technology a facilator or barrier?
• Is it possible to create a virtual presence?
• Similarities between GDTs distance education?

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Multidisciplinary GDT Research

• Explore how globally dispersed teams come
  together and achieve high performance
• Understand the leadership role in effective teams
  where members are physically dispersed
• Examine preparatory steps and management actions
  that enhance the success of globally dispersed
  teams
• Investigate the potential roles of technology,
  organizational processes and physical and digital
  space on facilitating collaboration.
• Obtain a set of basic criteria defining what are
  effective and efficient collaboration practices
  for global teams.

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Team Member Perspective
Global Local
versus
Global and Local
Aligned Together
5
Multiple Forces at Play
Source J. Klein B. Barrett, One foot in a
global team, one foot at the local site Making
sense out of living in two worlds
simultaneously, Advances in Interdisciplinary
Studies of Work Teams, Volume 8 Virtual Teams,
JAI Elsevier, 2001
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Multiple Stakeholders
Globally Dispersed Team
Corporate Staff
Remote Site
Remote Site
Local Managers
Local Managers
Local experts
Local experts
Focus/Attention Accountability/Prioritie
s Networks/Relationships Access to
Information/Influence
Source J. Klein B. Barrett, One foot in a
global team, one foot at the local site Making
sense out of living in two worlds
simultaneously, Advances in Interdisciplinary
Studies of Work Teams, Volume 8 Virtual Teams,
JAI Elsevier, 2001
7
Embedded Cultures

Nation
Non-work Life
Industry
Organization
Team
Source Julie Rennecker MIT Sloan PhD
dissertation
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Team Interaction Space

• Organizational Processes (organizational
  strategies and structures, meeting process, trust
  building, team member behavior)
• Technology (audio/video conferencing systems,
  computer supported communications)
• Spatial Setup (physical and digital space)

Source Sanjeev Vadhavkar MIT Engineering PhD
dissertation
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Team Communication
3
2
4
1
5
UK 4 Team Members
6
Czech Republic 1 Team Member
USA 6 Team Members
1
Germany 1 Team Member
Arrow indicates communication direction. Thickness
indicates communication time.
Not To Scale
Source Sanjeev Vadhavkar MIT Engineering PhD
dissertation
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Team Collaboration

• Need for communication infrastructure to support
  collaboration
• technology availability/accessibility
• technology capability
• user ability
• technology maintainability
• Communication occurs among people who know one
  another
• remote sites tend to feel isolated
• lack of sensitivity to local cultures, languages,
  time differences, etc.
• people assume others use technology the way they
  do
• Need for interaction protocols

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Capturing Mindshare

Face-to-Face Communication
transmitter controlled
receiver controlled
Distance Communication
receiver controlled
transmitter controlled
Source David Chenier/Mariano Picasso MIT Sloan
Fellows thesis
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The Perils of Time Pressures
Source J. Klein A. Kleinhanns, Closing the
Time Gap in Virtual Teams, to be published in
Creating Condition for Effective Virtual Teams,
Cristina Gibson Susan Cohen eds.,
Jossey-Bass/Wiley
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Impact on Team Interaction
Source J. Klein A. Kleinhanns, Closing the
Time Gap in Virtual Teams, to be published in
Creating Condition for Effective Virtual Teams,
Cristina Gibson Susan Cohen eds.,
Jossey-Bass/Wiley
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Techniques for Closing the Gap

• Align local and global objectives and priorities
• Clarify each team members role purpose for
  being part of the virtual team
• Create shared accountability to team processes
  and protocols
• Shift work to more asynchronous interaction to
  make meetings more value added
• Encourage frequent and continuous communications
  between team members
• Make assumptions and personal agendas explicit
• Provide a human link in the virtual environment

Source J. Klein A. Kleinhanns, Closing the
Time Gap in Virtual Teams, to be published in
Creating Condition for Effective Virtual Teams,
Cristina Gibson Susan Cohen eds.,
Jossey-Bass/Wiley
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On-going Research

• Use SDM as a laboratory to apply GDT research
  findings and develop advanced distance learning
  capabilities.
• Explore applications/implications of what we
  learn in improving virtualness of SDM students
  for GDTs within LFM/SDM partner organizations.

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Learnings from SDM
Preliminary analysis of SDM Virtualness Survey
responses
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For further informationJan Kleinjklein_at_mit.edu
617-253-8587