The document discusses strategies for improving the effectiveness of global virtual teams. It recommends developing collective competence through collaboration on joint tasks. Key challenges for virtual teams include reduced visibility and complexity due to geographical dispersion and cultural diversity. Strategies suggested include clearly defining team roles and processes, choosing communication technologies suited to task complexity, and facilitating trust and open communication.

1. Leading in a global networked organization Robin Teigland Center for Strategy and Competitiveness Stockholm School of Economics [email_address] www.knowledgenetworking.org April 2008

4. A world of rapidly growing knowledge …. > A person’s lifetime 18th century One week 2008 Fischbowl 2007

5. … that becomes quickly outdated …. 50% knowledge relevant 50% knowledge outdated First year of technical-based education Third year of education Fischbowl 2007

7. A world of rapidly growing knowledge.. Growth Time Output of information and knowledge Human absorptive capacity Cohen, WM och Levinthal, D A, Absorptive Capacity: A new Perspective on Learning and Innovation, Working paper, Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pennsylvania, October 1989

10. From a multi-domestic company to a successful global firm Multi-domestic Global Integrated Sub7 HQ Sub10 Sub9 Sub8 Sub13 Sub11 Sub3 Sub5 Sub4 Sub1 Sub2 Sub6 Sub14 Sub14

15. Performance differs based on one’s network Firm A High creative Low on-time High on-time Low creative Teigland 2003 High creative Virtual community Firm B

16. … and on the networks within the firm Teigland et al 2000

18. But the move from a multi-domestic company to a globally integrated one is challenging

20. Islands of competence despite management’s continuous efforts Stockholm London Brussels Helsinki Madrid Copenhagen Transferred from Stockholm Teigland 1998 San Francisco

21. Trust & reciprocity are essential for knowledge exchange in networks

22. … and most importantly, management cannot mandate social relationships John Eva Hans Miguel Paul Jan Lars Pia Anna Nils Bill Erik Mike Al Alex

23. Increasing use of Global Virtual Teams Manager Team Member Team Member Team Member Team Leader Manager Manager Manager GVT: A group of people often with complementary skills not normally together in one location at the same time functioning across boundaries of space, time, and organization, working together to achieve a shared purpose, and supported by technology

28. Improving GVT performance Lipnak & Stamps 2007, Coleman 2006

29. Achieving collective competence through collaboration Collective competence Group’s ability to work together to solve problems and achieve common goals Shared norms Shared routines Shared language Shared understanding Created in the course of joint action and problem solving Ruuska & Teigland 2008

30. Collective competence It’s really important to get a collective perspective in order for everyone to understand the project’s core and to develop the project’s goals and outcomes…a critical point is when everyone is on the same page and is able to look at the project with the same ”set of eyeglasses”. Ruuska & Teigland 2008

35. Cultural differences affect GVT behaviors “ Work-to-live” culture Risk avoidance + — + Teigland 2003 Knowledge acquisition Knowledge sharing

36. We live in different worlds – researchers focus on creating new knowledge/ publications while companies want to develop products that can be sold. And it’s difficult to achieve real cooperation even if you understand one another. There are always culture crashes when researchers meet people from the public and private sectors…it takes time to build bridges between the different worlds. Ruuska & Teigland 2008

37. Team configuration matters! Fully dispersed Three subgroups Two subgroups Least conflict Most trust Most conflict Least trust Polzer et al 2002

38. Clearly define virtual team roles Coleman 2006

41. Why spend the time? Reducing complexity to something manageable Identifying priorities and importance, sequence of activities Highlighting interdependence between actors and tasks Creating a common language My view…. Making views explicit

42. Increase interdependency Pooled Sequential Reciprocal High Low Interdependence Thompson 1967 Collective competence increases but so does the potential for conflict Task Task Task

44. We started to draw pictures for one another. ”Let’s make a simple sketch, what should the website look like?” We started by drawing something on the computer, something visible around which we could discuss. Ruuska & Teigland 2008

65. Leading is looking in all directions Management Project Team Project Leader Stakeholders Downwards Outwards Forwards Inwards Upwards Backwards Briner et al 2004

67. What is project success? Two types of project outcomes 1. Objective – Fulfillment of objectives on budget and on time 2. Subjective - Satisfaction with project by members Leverage differences among participants to produce innovative and synergistic solutions Ruuska & Teigland 2008

69. Our project leader really understands the different worlds of the project since he has worked both as a practitioner and as an academic. He is good at networking and communicating with everyone.

73. Make sure you are well connected Manager Team Member Team Member Team Member Team Leader Manager Manager Manager

74. Foster trust to build relationships Coleman 2006 Practices and discipline build trust, not who you are in virtual environments

75. Learning how to move on the axes Caulot 2006

78. Evolving global collaboration at Volvo IT

79. Available methods and tools at Volvo IT

80. Virtual team guide and exercises

82. Numerous virtual team space tools… Coleman 2006

83. … and external social media sites Rey 2008

89. Unilever’s pilot in Second Life

90. IBM’s jam sessions in Second Life

91. How can social networking sites be leveraged? ringsidenetworks.com

94. The future manager portal at Cisco

96. Why use these new tools? What is our business purpose? Melcrum 10/07

97. But open boundaries mean knowledge leakage… We pass over the nondisclosure agreements of different companies and trade company secrets all the time. Teigland 2003

98. Dual, and at times conflicting, loyalties Loyalty Loyalty Organization Professional network

102. There are many examples online Download the guidelines as a 6-page PDF. http://www.wordbiz.com/x9ksp38/IBM_Blogging_Policy_and_Guidelines.pdf

103. Tomorrow’s workforce is…

107. Leading and learning Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” - John F. Kennedy Leadership, teaching, and learning are inextricably interlinked. - Jack Welch