Jan de Leede, Karolus Kraan, Marille den Hengst, Madelon van Hooff TNO Quality of Life, the Netherla

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Jan de Leede, Karolus Kraan, Mariëlle den
Hengst, Madelon van Hooff TNO Quality of
Life, the Netherlands University of Twente,
Technical University Delft

• 12th International Workshop on Telework
• Lillehammer, Norway, August 28-30, 2007
• Virtual teams
• Conditions for innovation behaviour of virtual
  team members a high-road for internationally
  dispersed virtual teams

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Introduction

• Prevalence of virtual teams
• Estimate 2005 60 of professionals work in
  virtual teams (Gartner, 2002)
• quite optimistic,
• especially in global operating companies it is
  normal part of working life
• TNO survey 2005 14 work in virtual teams
• manufacturing / professional services / health
  care (N462)
• Why virtual teamwork?
• better use of knowledge and competences
• standardisation global solutions
• savings on travel costs and office space
• productivity and flexibility
• ICT as enabler

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Main difference virtual vs. traditional teams

• Many similarities!! The only thing is
• You dont see each other face to face
• Technology-supported communication

(Horvath Tobin, 2001, p.242)
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Some observations from literature

• Fragmented research domain
• Many theories on aspects
• Relatively few empirical studies (apart from
  quasi-experimental setting with (MBA) students)
• Good reviews
• Beyerlein, Johnson Beyerlein, 1999 Cooper
  Rousseau, 1999 Gibson Cohen, 2003 Martins et
  al., 2004 Powell, Piccoli Ives, 2004 Hertel,
  Geister Konradt, 2005
• Definition
• a virtual team is
• (1) a group of people who cooperate to attain a
  common goal
• (2) the cooperation is supported by ICT to
  enable them to a certain degree to communicate
  and coordinate
• (3) across time, place and organisational
  boundaries.

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Research model
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Method

• Cross-sectional survey
• Telephonic screening
• Web-based questionnaire
• Net 83 respondents (virtual team members) in 16
  companies

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Sample

• Teams with international composition
• 100 companies of IT, financial/commercial
  services, industry
• Core activities
• 28 software development
• 24 creative/content generating
• Prime reason for virtual work
• 48 knowledge
• Three dimensions
• Degree of virtual cooperation
• Face-to-face meetings / kick-off vs. virtual
• Time intensity
• 35 (almost) fulltime in virtual teamwork,
• 19 halftime,
• 46 quartertime
• Degree of complexity
• 3.1 different locations
• 80 same company
• 78 work in Europe (4.9 hours maximum difference
  in time zones)

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Results univariate analysis

• Degree of virtual (vs face-to-face) cooperation
  is negatively associated with innovation
  behaviour (r -.25 plt.05)
• Use of reciprocal IT (i.c. document sharing) is
  positively associated with innovation behaviour
  (r.27 plt.05)

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Results multilevel regression analysis

• Four main effects on innovation behaviour
• Time intensity negatively (beta -.20 plt.05)
• Use of reciprocal IT positively (beta .36
  plt01)
• Coordination by output negatively (beta -.42
  plt001)
• Coordination by trust positively (beta .41
  plt.01)
• Nine interaction effects

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Coordination by output or by trust? (1)

• Coordination by output is unfavourable for
  innovation (main effect)
• This is even more the case for high complex
  virtual teams (interaction effect)

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Coordination by output or by trust? (2)

• Coordination by trust is favourable for
  innovation (main effect)
• And, this is even stronger the case in highly
  complex virtual team settings (interaction effect)

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Use of IT tools

• Use of reciprocal IT (e.g. document sharing) is
  positive for innovation behaviour (main effect)
• However, not in highly complex virtual team
  settings (interaction effect)

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Task interdependence

• No main effect Task interdependence
• Interaction effect with Degree of virtual
  cooperation in highly virtual teams with high
  task interdependencies less innovation behaviour
  is found

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Discussion

• Real world of virtual teams is complex!
• Only few straight correlations and main effects
• Many interaction effects context is important
• Virtual teams as such are counterproductive for
  innovation
• Management by trust is an important variable in
  our model
• Management by output is unfavourable for
  innovation
• Task interdependency is unfavourable (contrary to
  expectation)

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Any questions?
Jan.deLeede_at_tno.nl Karolus.Kraan_at_tno.nl