Transcript Employee Empowerment

LGO/SDM On-Line Seminar
Globally Dispersed Teams
Jan Klein
May 2, 2003
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
4
Multiple Forces at Play
Corporate
polices &
practices
Willingness to trust fellow team
members, share knowledge & best
practices, and implement corporate and
local change
Team structure, processes & communications technology
Local site
polices &
practices
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
Remote Site
Remote Site
Local Managers
Local Managers
Local experts
Local experts
Corporate
Staff
Focus/Attention = Accountability/Priorities
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
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Embedded Cultures
Nation
Non-work
Life
Industry
Organization
Team
Source: Julie Rennecker MIT Sloan PhD dissertation
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Team Interaction Space
Spatial
Setup
Distributed Team
Interaction Space
Information
Technology
Organizational
Processes
 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
1
2
2
3
4
3
4
1
5
6
UK
4 Team
Members
Czech Republic
1 Team Member
USA
6 Team Members
1
1
Arrow indicates
communication direction.
Thickness indicates
communication time.
Germany
1 Team Member
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
Collaborative technologies can create and mitigate conflict
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Capturing Mindshare
Face-to-Face Communication
transmitter
controlled
receiver
controlled
Distance Communication
transmitter
controlled
Source: David Chenier/Mariano Picasso MIT Sloan Fellows thesis
receiver
controlled
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The Perils of Time Pressures
Time spent on
GDT activities
Time required for
GDT activities
Time Gap
+
-
+
+
Lack of mind-share
focused on team
(asynchronous)
Lack of mind-share
during meetings
(synchronous)
+
+
Ineffective
collaboration
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
Time spent on
GDT activities
Time required for
GDT activities
Time GAP
+
+
Lack of preparation
for team meetings
+
+
+
Multi-tasking
Late arrivals/
no shows
+
+
+
Meetings spent doing things
that should have been done
asynchronously
+
Redundant
discussions
+
+
+
Inefficient
meetings
+
Reduced GDT
member input
+
Ineffective
collaboration
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 member’s 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*
Off Campus learning [N = 51sponsored off-campus SDMs, alpha = .7216]
I am better able to apply what I learn when I'm off campus than when I'm on campus.
I am better able to understand the relevance of what I have learned to current or future jobs when I'm off campus than when I'm on campus.
I am better able to question my assumptions while off campus than on campus.
Correlation Significance
N
Virtual Presense
As a remote student, I feel part of the class environment.
I feel like I am part of the MIT community when I am remote.
0.421
0.337
0.002
0.016
51
51
Mindshare
Remote students are attentive during class.
0.403
0.003
51
Organizational Support
Organizational leadership understands the objectives of the SDM program.
0.441
0.024
26
Cohort
At the end of January I had developed personal relationships with most of my classmates.
I learn more in classes open to other MIT students (not restricted to SDM).
Business trips promote the development of relationships among students.
0.496
-0.482
0.313
0.000
0.000
0.025
51
51
51
Technology
The physical set up used by remote students in general (i.e., conference room or office set-up) promotes effective distance learning.
I prefer the synchronous over the asynchronous classroom for learning new concepts (ways of doing/thinking)
When I am off campus I learn more applicable skills in classes that use synchronous communication technologies (e.g. video and audio conferences).
I feel comfortable using asynchronous interactions (e.g., using email or posting documents on a web site) to ask faculty questions outside class
0.351
-0.361
0.513
0.357
0.011
0.033
0.003
0.035
51
35
31
35
* Preliminary analysis of SDM Virtualness Survey responses
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For further information:
Jan Klein
[email protected]
617-253-8587
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