The Human Capital Dimension within the Organizational Equation. Gliding Between Virtual and Traditional Teams

Authors

  • Mădălina Elena STRATONE National University of Political Studies and Public Administration
  • Elena - Mădălina VĂTĂMĂNESCU National University of Political Studies and Public Administration https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9397-0385

Abstract

There is a body of literature on virtual teams that is growing faster and faster; however, the knowledge about the benefits and the challenges faced by the virtual teams are still not very well outlined or thoroughly discussed. The purpose of this paper is to fill a part of the gap by reviewing specialized literature about the effectiveness of the virtual teams versus the traditional teams. Moreover, the study underlines the challenges faced by the virtual teams from different standpoints (i.e., identity, culture and diversity, leadership, communication and motivation, decision-making and conflicts, technology, creativity) and highlights the best ways/tools to cope with them. By performing this theoretical overview, the study aims to advance an articulate perspective on the organizational landscape and processes in line with today’s challenges in terms of human capital, in particular and of intellectual capital, in general. As the depicted research directions indicated, people are not ready yet to totally move to the virtual world and to give up face-to-face communication, feeling more comfortable to work within a traditional team. This situation is illustrative of the fact that there is still much to explore about the virtual teams and about how they can reach their best potential in order to be effective.

References

Acai, A.S. (2018). Getting with the Times: a Narrative Review of the Literature on Group Decision Making in Virtual Environments and Implications for Promotions Committees. Perspectives on Medical Education, 7(3), 147-155. doi: 10.1007/s40037-018-0434-9.

Akpinar, A.O. (2013). The Effect of Organizational Communication and Job Satisfaction on Organizational Commitment in Small Businesses. Interdisciplinary Journal of Research in Business, 3(4), 27-32.

Andres, M.R., Gutierrez-Broncano, S., & Montoya, J.N. (2015). Could Innovative Teams Provide the Necessary Flexibility to Complete de Current Context? Cuadernos de Gestion, 15, 2-6. doi:10.5295/cdg.130446mr.

Arndt, A.A. (2006). The Effects of Polychronic-Orientation Upon Retail Employee Satisfaction and Turnover. Journal of Retailing, 82(4), 319-330. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2006.08.005.

Baltezarevic, V., & Baltezarevic, R. (2013). The Role of Communication in Intellectual Capital Management, Education and Employment Opportunities for Entrepreneurs. Belgrade: Faculty of Business Economics and Entrepreneurship.

Benetyte, D., & Matuliaviciene, G. (2014). Building and Sustaining Trust in Virtual Teams within Organizational Context. Regional Formation and Development Studies, 2(1), 1-28.

Berry, G.R. (2011). Enhancing Effectiveness on Virtual Teams. Understanding Why Traditional Team Skills Are Insufficient. Journal of Business Communication, 48(2), 4-20. doi: 10.1177/0021943610397270.

Beyerlein, M., & Harris, C. (2004). Guiding the Journey to Collaborative Work Systems: A Strategic Design Workbook. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Binsbergen, W.v. (1998). Globalization and Virtuality: Analytical Problems Posed by the Contemporary Transformation of African Societies. Development and Change, 29(4), 873-903.

Brown, M.H.-T. (2007). Managing Virtual Teams: Getting the Most from Wikis, Blogs, and Other Collaborative Tools. Plano, Texas: Wordware Publishing, Inc.

Burman, S., & Shastri, S. (2016). Comparative Study of Job Satisfaction between. International Journal of Science and Research, 5(1), 1536-1540. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/d17f/306ae1527a0144afe646ca223e724fc91cfb.pdf.

Canary, H., & MsPhee, R.D. (2011). Communication and Organizational Knowledge – Contemporary Issues for Theory and Practice. New York: Routledge. Retrieved from http://www.dphu.org/uploads/attachements/books/books_4937_0.pdf.

Carmeli, A., & Paulus, P.B. (2015). CEO Ideational Facilitation Leadership and Team Creativity: The Mediating Role of Knowledge Sharing. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 49(1), 53-75.

Çemberci, M., & Civelek, M.E. (2018, June). The Effects of Organızatıonal Support in Team Working on Creativity and Personal Initiative of Employees. IJOESS, 9(32), 1144-1155.

Chang, A., Bordia, P., & Duck, J.M. (2003). Punctuated Equilibrium and Linear Progression: Toward a New Understanding of Group. Academy of Management Journal, 46(1), 106-116. doi: 10.2307/30040680.

Chen, N. (2017). Cooperation with Friends or New Encounters: Tie Strength and Shared Leadership Behaviors. Social Behavior and Personality, 45(4), 573-582. doi:https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.5868.

Child, J. (2001). Trust – The Fundamental Bond in Global Collaboration. Organizational Dynamics, 29(1), 274-284.

Cobb, A.T. (2006). Leading Project Teams – An Introduction to the Basics of Project Management and Project Team Leadership. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Cordes, S. (2016). Virtual Team Learning: The Role of Collaboration Process and Technology Affordance in Team Decision Making. Knowledge Management & E-Learning, 8, 603-615.

DaRos, J. (2016). Communication Efficacy Using Technology within. USM Digital Commons, 28(1), 1-23. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1279&context=etd

Dennis, A.G. (2019). A Script for Group Development: Punctuated Equilibrium and the Stages Model. Retrieved from http://misrc.umn.edu/workshops/2006/spring/alan.pdf.

DeSanctis, G., & Monge, P. (1999). Introduction to the Special Issue: Communication Processes for Virtual Organizations. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 10(6), 693 - 703. doi:https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.10.6.693.

Duarte, D., & Snyder, N.T. (2001). Mastering Virtual Teams: Strategies, Tools, and Techniques that Succeed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

DuBrin, A.J. (2013). Fundamentals of Organizational Behavior: An Applied Perspective, 2nd edition. New York: Pergamon Press Inc.

Dunham, B.A. (2015). Working in Teams – Moving From High Potential to High Performance. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Ebrahim, N.A., Ahmed, S., & Taha, Z. (2009). Virtual Teams: a Literature Review. Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 3(3), 2653-2669. Retrieved from http://cogprints.org/7814/1/2653-2669.pdf.

Fisher, K., & Fisher, M. (2001). The Distance Manager: A Hands-on Guide to Managing Off - Site Employees and Virtual Teams. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Fletcher, T. (2014). Exploration of Implicit Bias on Multidisciplinary Team Members When Referring African American Students for Special Education Services. University of South Carolina - Scholar Commons. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/2d62/a5779792beeaaf5e4bf7070b8622af0dcc66.pdf

Forsyth, D. (1999). Group Dynamics, 3rd edition. Belmont, CA: Thompson.

Friedman, T.L. (2000). The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Fuller, R.V. (2016). Longitudinal Effects of Computer-Mediated Communication Anxiety on Interaction in Virtual Teams. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 59(3), 166-185. doi:10.1109/TPC.2016.2583318

Gibson, C., & Gibbs, J.L. (2006). Unpacking the Concept of Virtuality: The Effects of Geographic Disperion, Electronic Dependence, Dynamic Structure, and National Diversity on Team Innovation. Administrative Science Quarterly, 51(3), 451–495.

Gibson, C.C. (2003). Virtual Teams that Work – Creating Conditions for Virtual Team Effectiveness. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Giske, R., Rodahl, S., Haugen, T., & Hoigaard, R. (2017). Shared Mental Models, Role Ambiguity, Team Identification and Social Loafing in Elite Sports Groups: A Mediation Analysis. Sport & Exercise Psychology Review, 13(2), 2-12.

Godar, S.F. (2006). Teaching and Learning with Virtual Teams. Hershey: Information Science Publishing.

Hacker, J.V. (2019). Trust in Virtual Teams: A Multidisciplinary Review and Integration. Australasian Journal of Information Systems, 2-30. doi:10.3127/ajis.v23i0.1757.

Hacker, M.J. (2019). Trust in Virtual Teams: A Multidisciplinary Review and Integration. Australasian Journal of Information Systems, 23(1), 2-6. doi:10.3127/ajis.v23i0.1757.

Hewstone, M.R. (2002). Intergroup Bias. Annual Reviews Psychology, 53, 575–604. Retrieved from http://www3.psych.purdue.edu/~willia55/392F-'06/HewstoneRubinWillis.pdf.

Hoch, J.E., & Kozlowski, S.W.J. (2004). Leading Virtual Teams: Hierarchical Leadership, Structural Supports, and Shared Team Leadership. Journal of Applied Psychology, 99, 517-535. doi: 10.1037/a0030264.

Jones, R.O. (2005). Working Virtually - Challenges of Virtual Teams. Hershey: CyberTech Publishing.

Jordan, S., & Adams, R. (2016). Perceptions of Success in Virtual Cross-Disciplinary Design Teams in Large Multinational Corporations. CODESIGN, 12, 2-14. doi:10.1080/15710882.2016.1146303

Jorgenson, J. (2018). Tools of the Trade: Creativity, Innovation, Influence, and Advocacy. American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, 75(11), 785-794. doi:10.2146/ajhp180037.

Kayworth, T.R. (2001). Leadership effectiveness in global virtual teams. Journal of Management Information Systems, 18(3), 7-35.

Klitmøller, A.S. (2015). Speaking of Global Virtual Teams: Language Differences. Cosial Categorization and Media Choice, 44(2), 270-280.

Koivunen, M.A. (2015). Team Climate and Attitudes Toward Information and Communication Technology Among Nurses on Acute Psychiatric Wards. Informatics for Health and Social Care, 40(1), 79-90. doi:10.3109/17538157.2013.872112.

Kozlowski, B., & Bell, B.S. (2002). A Typology of Virtual Teams Implications for Effective Leadership. Group & Organization Management, 27(1), 14-30. doi: http://doi.org/10.1177/1059601102027001003.

Kozlowski, S.W., & Bell, B.S. (2003). Work Groups and Teams and Organizations (Vol. 12: Industrial and Organizational Psychology). New York. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1396&context=articles.

Krawczyk-Brylka, B. (2016). Intercultural Challenges in Virtual Teams. Journal of Intercultural Management, 8(3), 69-85. doi:10.1515/joim-2016-0017.

Krawczyk-Bryłka, B. (2016). Intercultural Challenges in Virtual Teams. Journal of Intercultural Management, 8(3), 1-10. doi:10.1515/joim-2016-0017.

Kroth, M., & Clemons, D. (2011). Managing the Mobile Workforce: Leading, Building, and Sustaining Virtual Teams. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Laitinen, K., & Valo, M. (2018). Meanings of Communication Technology in Virtual Team Meetings: Framing Technology-Related Interaction. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 111(1), 12-22. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2017.10.012.

Langer, A.M. (2011). Information Technology and Organizational Learning- Managing Behavioral Change through Technology and Education, 2nd edition. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press.

Levi, D. (2014). Group Dynamics for Teams. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Liao, C. (2016). Leadership in Virtual Teams: A Multilevel Perspective. Human Resource Management Review, 27(4), 648-659. doi: 10.1016/j.hrmr.2016.12.010.

Lin, C.-H., & Shih, J.-L. (2018). Analysing Group Dynamics of a Digital Game-based Adventure Education. Educational Technology & Society , 21(4), 51-63.

Marlow, S.L. (2017). Communication in Virtual Teams: a Conceptual Framework and Research Agenda. Human Resource Management Review, 27(4), 575–589. doi:DOI: 10.1016/j.hrmr.2016.12.005

McPhee, H.E. (2011). Communication and Organizational Knowledge - Contemporary Issues for Theory and Practice. New York: Routledge.

Meyer, I., Bond-Barnard, T.J., Steyn, H., & Jordaan, J. (2016). Exploring the Use of Computer-Mediated Video Communication in Engineering Projects in South Africa. South African Journal of Industrial Engineering, 27(2), 1-16. doi:https://doi.org/10.7166/27-2-1298.

Miroński, J. (2010). Management of Intercultural Knowledge. Retrieved from e-mentor: http://www.e-mentor.edu.pl/artykul/index/numer/35/id/757.

Morley, S.C. (2015). An Analysis of Virtual Team Characteristics: A Model for. Journal of Technology Management & Innovation, 10(1), 189-203. Retrieved from https://scielo.conicyt.cl/pdf/jotmi/v10n1/art14.pdf.

Musah, A.G. (2018, June). Relationship between Organizational Communication and Job Satisfaction in. Global Business and Management Research: An International Journal, 9(1), 73-84. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325924523.

Nemiro, J.B. (2008). The Handbook of High-Performance Virtual Teams - A Toolkit for Collaborating Across Boundaries. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Olson, J., & Kalinski, R. (2017). Making Student Online Teams Work. The Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 18(1), 2-8.

O'Neill, T. A. (2018). Getting with the Times: a Narrative Review of the Literature on Group Decision Making in Virtual Environments and Implications for Promotions Committees. CrossNation, 2-7. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s40037-018-0434-9.

Orhan, M.R. (2016). Invisible, therefore Isolated: Comparative Effects of Team Virtuality with Task Virtuality on Workplace Isolation and Work Outcomes. Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 32(1), 109-122. doi:http://dx.doi.org/l 0.1016/j.rpto.2016.02.002.

Ozturk, T.H. (2017). Developing a Model of Conflict in Virtual Learning Communities in the Context of a Democratic Pedagogy. British Journal of Educational Technology, 48(1), 4-11. doi:10.1111/bjet.12328.

Pei, G. (2017). Climate, Structuring Leadership and Team Creativity: The Mediating Role of Team Innovation. Social Behavior and Personality: an International Journal, 45(3), 369-376. doi:http://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.5677.

Pels, F.K. (2018). Group Flow: A Scoping Review of Definitions, Theoretical Approaches, Measures and Findings. PLOS ONE, 13(12), e0210117. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0210117.

Portny, N.G. (2015). Project Management for Dummies, 2nd edition. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Roch, S.G., & Ayman, R. (2005). Group Decision Making and Perceived Decision Success: The Role of Communication Medium. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 9(1), 15-31.

Salonen, L. (2012). Boost Your Team Individuality - A New Perspective on Group Development Over Time. Retrieved http://www.consultinginorganisations.org/signup/Developmental_phases_of_groups_Paper.pdf.

Serrat, O. (2017). Managing Virtual Teams. Knowledge Solutions, 2-10. doi: 10.1007/978-981-10-0983-9_68.

Thomson, I. (2004). Making the Team: A Guide for Managers, 2nd edition. New Jersey: Upper Saddle River.

Ulrich, B., & Crider, N. (2017). Using Teams to Improve Outcomes and Performance. Nephrology Nursing Journal, 44(1), 3-10.

Wageman, R., Gardner, H.K., & Mortensen, M. (2012). The Changing Ecology of Teams: New Directions for Teams Research. Journal of Organizational Behaviour, 33(3), 316-341.

Webster, J., & Wong, W.K.P. (2008). Comparing Traditional and Virtual Group Forms: Identity, Communication and Trust in Naturally Occuring Project Teams. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 19(1), 41-62. doi: 10.1080/09585190701763883.

Wesner, B., Smith, A., & Austin, T. (2018). Ready for Action: Developing Classroom Teams to Prepare Students for the Business World. Administrative Issues Journal: Connecting Education, Practice, and Research, 8(2), 119-137. doi:10.5929/2019.1.14.9.

West, M.A. (2004). Lucrul în echipă - Lecții practice [Teamwork – Practical Lessons]. Iași: Polirom.

Wheelan, S.A. (2013). Creating Effective Teams – a Guide for Members and Leaders, 4th edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Wickramasinghe, V., & Nandula, S. (2015). Diversity Team Composition, Relationship Conflict and Team Leader Support on Globally Distributed Virtual Software Development Team Performance. Strategic Outsourcing: An International Journal, 8(2/3), 140-152. doi: http://doi.org/10.1108/SO-02-2015-0007.

Wnuk, M. (2017). Organizational Conditioning of Job. Vizja Press&IT, 11(1), 31-44. doi:10.5709/ce.1897-9254.227.

Wong, S.S. (2017). Demographic Diversity and Salience of Nationalty on Team Effectiveness in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Small and Medium Enterprises (SMES). Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 12(2), 229-245.

Workman, M. (2007). The Effects from Technology-Mediated Interaction and Openness in Virtual Team Performance Measures. Behaviour & Information Technology, 26(5), 355-365. doi:10.1080/01449290500402809.

Zigurs, I., & Khazanchi, D. (2008, February). From Profiles to Patterns: A New View for Task-Technology Fit. Information Systems Management, 25(1), 8-13. doi:10.1080/10580530701777107.

Downloads

Published

2019-12-02

How to Cite

STRATONE, M. E., & VĂTĂMĂNESCU, E. .-. M. (2019). The Human Capital Dimension within the Organizational Equation. Gliding Between Virtual and Traditional Teams. Management Dynamics in the Knowledge Economy, 7(4), 447–467. Retrieved from https://www.managementdynamics.ro/index.php/journal/article/view/332

Issue

Section

Articles