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Example research essay topic: Nonverbal Cues Virtual Teams - 1,915 words

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Virtual Team Virtual Team Table of Contents Introduction Characteristics of Virtual Teams Use of Virtual Teams Team Identification and Group Membership Influence in Virtual Teams Conclusion Bibliography Introduction As the nature of business operations becomes more global and dynamic, the manner in which the work is carried out changes as well. With the advances in communication and information technology, virtual teams have emerged as a new breed of team structure in many multi-national companies. Virtual teams have been characterized as teams which are geographically dispersed and collaborate using computer mediated communication in order to accomplish an organizational goal (Townsend et al. ). The virtual team frequently has three unique characteristics that may differentiate it from traditional, face-to-face teams. This paper examines virtual teams from the perspective of influence issues in groups. Prior research provides little insight into the role of group membership perception on influence tactics.

This paper advances the knowledge around group membership and influence tactics. The paper also investigates the effects of team identification on a virtual team members use of influence tactics in their team. Characteristics of Virtual Teams Spatial Distance One of the primary attributes of a virtual team is that it crosses the boundaries of space. The virtual team is often made up of members from across the globe (Lipnack & Stamps), though global dispersion is not necessarily a requirement to fulfill the definition of a virtual team. The members of a virtual team may simply be geographically dispersed across a country, region, city or perhaps even large office complex, and need not be dispersed globally to function virtually. The physical distance between team members is not as important as its impact on the functional effectiveness of the team.

The issue of spatial distance significantly affects the manner in which the virtual team members interact with one another, which is fundamentally different from the primary form of interaction in a traditional team (Bell & Kozlowski), as is discussed in the following section. As Lipnack and Stamps noted, the probability of employee communication or collaboration decreases significantly when the employees work more than 50 feet apart. This 50 - Foot Rule of Collaboration implies that virtual teams need not be made up of members from across the globe but simply team members from various floors in an office building, different buildings in an office complex, or several cities in a country (Lipnack & Stamps). Few organizations or teams are small enough to fulfill this 50 -Foot Rule (Lipnack & Stamps); therefore, the issue of spatial distance is a pervasive one even if it goes unrecognized by those whom it affects. The attribute of spatial distance also incorporates the boundary of time.

The challenge that spatial distance presents is further complicated when the distance is great and team members are separated by time zones. Very often the tasks a virtual team must complete require synchronous interaction or other similar activities. As the number of time zones between team members increases, so may the difficulty in communicating and working effectively with other team members. Spatial distance can also bring other difficulties to the virtual team.

Geographical distance can frequently lead to psychological distance. Though important to the successful functioning of any team, trust becomes critical in preventing the development of psychological distance in a global team (Snow et al. ). This is particularly true in a global virtual team where the geographical or spatial distance is significant. The spatial distance resulting from a virtual context eliminates the possibility of social control such as direct supervision. In addition, this context removes the factors, such as physical proximity, that lead to social control (Jarvenpaa et al. ). The virtual, and often global, context of virtual teams frequently obstructs the development of trust within a team.

Trust necessitates face-to-face interaction which the spatial distance characteristic of a virtual team often prohibits (Handy). This issue leads to the second prevailing quality of a virtual team its method of interaction. Computer Mediated Communication A second predominant characteristic of a virtual team is that, due to the spatial distance that separates them, virtual team members primarily communicate with one another via computer mediated technology such as email, video conferencing or instant messaging (IM). Furthermore, the team may rarely or never meet in person (OHara-Devereaux & Johansen). This is in stark contrast to the interactions of a traditional team where face-to-face communication is often the norm rather than the exception.

The effects of predominantly electronic forms of communication in virtual teams are widely documented. For example, compared to face-to-face interaction, CMC tends to increase the volume of communication between team members (Hill et al. ). While the use of CMC can improve efficiency and reduce costs such as those related with travel expenses or increased headcount, it also has unintended effects on the operations and interactions of the virtual team members. For instance, the CMC technology that many virtual teams use for communication is lean, low in social presence, and low in interactivity (Zack). In using computer-mediated communication technology, virtual teams face unique difficulties in their interaction between team members which traditional, face-to-face teams may not encounter. Synchronous communication allows both verbal and nonverbal cues to pass between parties, thereby facilitating the flow of information or conversation among team members and also providing instant feedback and the ability to communicate desired nuances.

However, in asynchronous communication (communicating at different times as in email) such as the CMC that virtual teams frequently employ, these potentially helpful characteristics are lost. Nonverbal cues are arguably nonexistent, feedback is delayed and nuances vanish (McGrath). Email, IM or groupware systems lack the simple cues that characterize human conversation. Gestures, nonverbal cues, social influence indicators, symbolic content and contextual signals are not available for virtual team members who must frequently rely on CMC to interact with their fellow team members (Montoya-Weiss, Massey, & Song). These difficulties in communication create potential for conflict in Get which must be appropriately managed (Jarvenpaa et al. ). Temporarily Third, a virtual teams operations are generally, though not necessarily, of a temporary nature, with the team being created to accomplish a specific task.

One such example might be the project team assembled to implement a new information or accounting system within a global enterprise (Jarvenpaa et al. ). When a global organization rolls out new software, such as a management information system, a virtual team may often be employed to carry out the installation and implementation of the new system and accompanying business processes. Putting the new system and processes in place would not require a permanent team but rather a temporary one that potentially assures a smooth transition to the new management information system. While often a characteristic of many virtual teams, temporarily is not necessarily a requirement for a team to function virtually.

Use of Virtual Teams Virtual teams may often be employed to accomplish tasks similar to those with which traditional teams are charged. How virtual teams accomplish those tasks and the difficulties they encounter in that process are what distinguish them from traditional teams (Bell & Kozlowski). However, despite the struggles they face, virtual teams offer a variety of benefits to the organizations in which they are developed. For instance, virtual teams provide organizations with the opportunity and feasibility of utilizing the most talented employees for a particular project regardless of the individuals location, allow organizations to respond more quickly to heightened competition, and offer employees the flexibility of working from home or while traveling (Bell & Kozlowski). Quite often the level of these benefits is not something a traditional team can provide. Team Identification and Group Membership As noted in Turner et al. , group boundaries are often defined at a psychological level (Turner et al. ).

This concept may also apply to virtual teams, where the group, or in this case team, boundaries are more ambiguous than in a traditional team. Given the unique characteristics of a virtual team such as temporarily, spatial distance, and CMC as its primary form of interaction, do these factors affect a virtual team members level of identification with their team and whether they view their team as an ingroup or outgrown? The key to answering this question is to evaluate whether a virtual team member obtains some sense of identity from her membership in the virtual team. Hofstede noted that one of the main characteristics of an ingroup is that it provides its members with this sense of identity (Hofstede).

Therefore, if a virtual team member gains some sense of identity from their membership in the virtual team, they may perceive their fellow virtual team members as ingroup members. However, if little sense of identity is gained from their membership in the virtual team, the team member may view their fellow virtual team members as outgrown members. Simple designation with a group or team has the potential to elicit prompt identification with an ingroup (Mail & Ashforth). Other factors may also play a role in an individuals level of identification with their team.

For instance, some may view their virtual team members as they would a traditional team member with little distinction between the two types of teams. However, others particularly those who only communicate via CMC and never come face-to-face with fellow team members and who know from their virtual teams inception that the work team is only a temporary one may view their virtual team members quite differently when compared to members of more traditional teams. This may be particularly so in a global virtual team where members are separated by time zones, language barriers, and cultural differences. Identification with ones team or perceiving the team as an ingroup holds importance for organizational outcomes. Team members with a salient team identity tend to behave in a manner which benefits the group as whole rather than in a way which is self-interested (Brickson). This lack of team identity may lead to effort-withholding behaviors which result in lowered team performance (Shapiro et al. ).

When a team member acts in their own self-interest, it may often be at the expense of the team and even the organization. Influence in Virtual Teams While virtual teams may be charged with tasks similar to those of traditional teams, how those tasks are fulfilled can vary greatly. But how do virtual team members choose which influence tactics they will use in their attempts to influence fellow virtual team members and what factors mediate these choices? The Power Use Model (Bruins) suggests five concepts that may mediate the relationship between the perceived group membership of the target and the kind of influence tactic an agent may choose to use in influencing the target. These variables include uncertainty reduction, expected opposition, desire to be liked, assertion of group membership, and cognitive consistency. In varying degrees, some of these variables are incorporated into the model below while others are not, as some are more applicable to virtual settings than others.

The model Virtual Teams is specific to understanding the processes and interactions of virtual teams rather than individuals in general; therefore, the constructs noted above are not necessarily the foundation of this model of perception of group membership in virtual teams and the effect of those perceptions on an agents choice of influence tactics. Spatial Distance Factors Depending on whether they are thousands of miles apart, as in a true global virtual team, or simply separated by a few floors of an office building, virtual team members may rarely or never see one another (OHara-Devereaux &...


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