Global Teams: Trends, Challenges and Solutions

Global Teams: Trends, Challenges and

Solutions

A Collection of White Papers:

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A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Face-to-Face and Virtual Communication: Overcoming the

Challenges

Building Teams from a Distance

Virtual Leadership: Required Competencies for Effective Leaders

Developing Global Mindset and the Impact on Virtual Teams

Challenges and Interventions in Monitoring and Evaluating Virtual Team Performance

Virtual Teams: Work/Life Challenges- Keeping Remote Employees Engaged

This research was conducted in preparation for the Cornell Center for Advanced Human Resource

Studies (CAHRS) Spring 2010 Partner Meeting, May 6, 2010, New York, NY

By: Rebecca Heller, Aaron Laurito, Kurt Johnson, Maureen Martin, Rex Fitzpatrick and Kirsten

Sundin

2010 CAHRS Graduate Research Assistants

Under the supervision of Pamela Stepp, Ph.D. and Bradford Bell, Ph.D

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Introduction

In recent years, companies have increasingly turned to virtual teams as a means of connecting and

engaging geographically dispersed workers, lowering the costs associated with global

collaboration, and enabling greater speed and adaptability. These teams have shifted the way in

which organizations traditionally form, manage and evaluate team performance. Virtual teams,

although offering many benefits, also pose a number of challenges. Developing effective global

leaders, keeping remote employees engaged, forming and developing global teams, monitoring and

evaluating distance employees, and developing a global mindset are all areas that companies are

working to better understand.

In response to these and other challenges, we have spent the last semester researching and writing

about topics of interest to companies either currently utilizing global virtual teams or considering

adoption of virtual teams. These topics include virtual team leadership, a cost-benefit analysis of

virtual communication and face-to-face communication, work life challenges, building teams from a

distance, monitoring and evaluating distance employees, and developing a global mindset in regard

to global virtual teams. Each paper includes an annotated bibliography, which lists descriptions of

additional resources regarding that paper¡¯s topic.

We are grateful to CAHRS and its sponsor companies for financial support of the Research Assistant

program. We would like to thank Gap Inc., American Express and Comcast for their financial

support of the Research Assistant Program and dedication to HRM research. We feel fortunate to

have worked with Dr. Pamela Stepp, Executive Director, CAHRS and Dr. Bradford Bell, Associate

Professor of HR Studies and Director of ILR Executive Education, and would like to thank them for

outstanding guidance and encouragement over the course of the semester. We are also grateful to

Jo Hagin, Program Manager, CAHRS for her constant assistance and support.

Rebecca Heller

Aaron Laurito

Kurt Johnson

Maureen Martin

Rex Fitzpatrick

Kirsten Sundin

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Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: PAPER ABSTRACTS............................................................................................................... 7

A COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF FACE-TO-FACE AND VIRTUAL COMMUNICATION: OVERCOMING

THE CHALLENGES................................................................................................................................................................... 9

Annotated Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................. 21

BUILDING TEAMS FROM A DISTANCE ......................................................................................................................... 29

Annotated Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................. 35

VIRTUAL LEADERSHIP: REQUIRED COMPETENCIES FOR EFFECTIVE LEADERS..................................... 39

Annotated Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................. 48

DEVELOPING GLOBAL MINDSET AND THE IMPACT ON VIRTUAL TEAMS.................................................. 53

Annotated Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................. 63

CHALLENGES AND INTERVENTIONS IN MONITORING AND EVALUATING VIRTUAL TEAM

PERFORMANCE ...................................................................................................................................................................... 69

Annotated Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................. 76

VIRTUAL TEAMS: WORK/LIFE CHALLENGES - KEEPING REMOTE EMPLOYEES ENGAGED.................. 81

Annotated Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................. 89

ABOUT THE CENTER FOR ADVANCED HUMAN RESOURCE STUDIES (CAHRS) ........................................ 99

ABOUT THE AUTHORS ........................................................................................................................................................ 99

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