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The global virtual manager: a prescription for success

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  • Kayworth, Timothy
  • Leidner, Dorothy

Abstract

Global virtual teams have emerged in response to the growing demands placed upon organizations to rapidly coordinate individuals located in geographically dispersed locations. Virtual teams promise to improve cycle time, reduce travel costs, and reduce redundancies across organizational units. Moreover, the use of global virtual teams provides an opportunity to coordinate complex business tasks across a potentially far-flung confederation of organizations. However, virtual teams are beset with a range of challenges inherent to their dispersed, and often impersonal, nature. While all teamwork involves challenges to be managed, the tools at the disposal of virtual teams limits the options they have for addressing the difficulties of coordination. This field-based research study was undertaken to assess the core issues and challenges faced by a group of twelve culturally diverse global virtual teams with members from Europe, Mexico, and the United States. Our findings suggest that global virtual teams face significant challenges in four areas: communication, culture, technology, and project management (leadership). Drawing from the members' assessments of their virtual team experiences, each area of challenge is discussed in detail. This is followed by a set of managerial prescriptions that outline specific critical success factors useful for the implementation of virtual teams.

Suggested Citation

  • Kayworth, Timothy & Leidner, Dorothy, 2000. "The global virtual manager: a prescription for success," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 183-194, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eurman:v:18:y:2000:i:2:p:183-194
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    Cited by:

    1. Azusa Ebisuya & Tomoki Sekiguchi & Gayan Prasad Hettiarachchi, 2023. "Narrowing the communication gap in internationally distributed teams: the case of software-development teams in Sri Lanka and Japan," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(1), pages 354-378, February.
    2. D. Sandy Staples & Lina Zhao, 2006. "The Effects of Cultural Diversity in Virtual Teams Versus Face-to-Face Teams," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 15(4), pages 389-406, July.
    3. Alexis Roche, 2016. "Influence Of The Size Organizations On Recognition Expectations In Small Organizations," Post-Print hal-01357036, HAL.
    4. Rosalie J. Ocker & Haiyan Huang & Raquel Benbunan-Fich & Starr Roxanne Hiltz, 2011. "Leadership Dynamics in Partially Distributed Teams: an Exploratory Study of the Effects of Configuration and Distance," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 273-292, May.
    5. Ford, Robert C. & Piccolo, Ronald F. & Ford, Loren R., 2017. "Strategies for building effective virtual teams: Trust is key," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 60(1), pages 25-34.
    6. Myriam Karoui & Ali Gürkan & Aurélie Dudézert, 2010. "Virtual Team Collaboration: a review of literature and perspectives," Post-Print hal-00509753, HAL.
    7. Petersen, Bent & Welch, Lawrence S., 2002. "International Business Development And The Internet, Post-Hype," Working Papers 8-2002, Copenhagen Business School, Department of International Economics and Management.
    8. Gilli, Katharina & Veglio, Valerio & Gunkel, Marjaana & Taras, Vas, 2022. "In search of the Holy Grail in global virtual teams: The mediating role of satisfaction on performance outcomes," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 325-337.
    9. Anne Bartel-Radic & Fabienne Munch, 2023. "Cross-cultural boundary spanning activities in a global team," Post-Print halshs-04148890, HAL.
    10. Binyamin, Galy & Brender-Ilan, Yael, 2018. "Leaders's language and employee proactivity: Enhancing psychological meaningfulness and vitality," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 36(4), pages 463-473.
    11. Robin L. Wakefield & Dorothy E. Leidner & Gary Garrison, 2008. "Research Note ---A Model of Conflict, Leadership, and Performance in Virtual Teams," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 19(4), pages 434-455, December.
    12. Myriam Karoui & Aurélie Dudézert, 2010. "La collaboration centrée sur le partage de connaissances et de l'information au sein des équipes virtuelles : revue de littérature et perspectives de recherche," Post-Print hal-00509749, HAL.
    13. Paul Haynes & Alessandra Vecchi & James Wickham, 2006. "Flying around the globe and bringing business back home?," The Institute for International Integration Studies Discussion Paper Series iiisdp173, IIIS.
    14. Darshna V. Banker & Shamita Garg & Mohita Maggon, 2023. "Virtual Leadership: Bibliometrics, Framework-Based Systematic Review, and Future Agenda," South Asian Journal of Business and Management Cases, , vol. 12(3), pages 300-332, December.
    15. Giuri, Paola & Rullani, Francesco & Torrisi, Salvatore, 2008. "Explaining leadership in virtual teams: The case of open source software," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 20(4), pages 305-315, December.
    16. Hill, N. Sharon & Bartol, Kathryn M. & Tesluk, Paul E. & Langa, Gosia A., 2009. "Organizational context and face-to-face interaction: Influences on the development of trust and collaborative behaviors in computer-mediated groups," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 108(2), pages 187-201, March.

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