Content uploaded by Nancy Dixon
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Nancy Dixon on May 25, 2018
Content may be subject to copyright.
A preview of the PDF is not available
Learning together and working apart: routines for organizational learning in virtual teams
Abstract
Purpose
Research suggests that teaming routines facilitate learning in teams. This paper identifies and details how specific teaming routines, implemented in a virtual team, support its continual learning. The study’s focus was to generate authentic and descriptive accounts of the interviewees’ experiences with virtual teaming routines.
Design/methodology/approach
This case study gathered concrete, practical and context-dependent knowledge about virtual teaming routines in a specific environment. The main source of data was narrative expert interviews with working members of the team.
Findings
This study illustrates how a mix of face-to-face and virtual routines can ensure organizational learning in virtual teams.
Research limitations/implications
This case study is limited to one virtual team in the information industry. Future research could build on this research to study virtual teams in other industries.
Practical implications
This research offers specific examples of teaming routines that managers of virtual teams might adapt in managing their own teams.
Social implications
Given that the use of virtual teams is a growing phenomenon, understanding how to help those teams learn effectively is a critical issue.
Originality/value
This case study extends the research on teaming routines to virtual teams.
... However, here the socio-psychological aspects of the issue stand out, in the context of projects and participants, that is, mechanisms and people. These are: socio-psychological relationships, group behavior, psychological safety, trust, as well as problems of understanding the mechanisms and interaction of the team among themselves in the framework of following project methods (Marder et al., 2021), (Dixon, 2017), (Stray et al., 2016), (Delizonna, 2017). Edmondson et al. (2014), and others. ...
... Hence, the socio-psychological aspects of the issue emerged from project management study, in the context of projects and participants, that is, mechanisms and people. These are: group behavior, socio-psychological relationships, psychological safety, trust, as well as problems of understanding the mechanisms and interaction of the team among themselves in the framework of following project methods (Marder et al., 2021), (Dixon, 2017), (Stray et al., 2016), (Delizonna, 2017), (Edmondson et al., 2014), and others. ...
... Particularly, the following factors were identified as the reasons for limiting changes in companies. These are abrupt changes, incompetence (Isachenko, 2003), misunderstanding of the requirements, lack of preliminary preparation (Burnakova and Bekesheva, 2019), , (Goncalves and Goncalves, 2012), (Isachenko, 2003), emotional failure, low emotional intelligence, lack of knowledge, fears (Belonogov et al., 2021), (Salogub, 2017), (Mkrtychyan and Voylokova, 2013), trust and cynicism (Liebler, 2018) psychological safety (Marder et al., 2021), (Dixon, 2017), (Stray et al., 2016), (Edmondson et al., 2014), insufficient knowledge (Ihrig and MacMillan, 2021), knowledge management (Lindskog and Netz (2021), Zulfadil et al (2020) and Shehla (2021) and organizational behavior (Luthans, 2011), (Sigov and Gorchakov, 2020). ...
The monograph explores the mechanisms of change management and the feature of low tolerance of personnel to organizational changes. The changing environment and trends in the build-up of developed new technologies by enterprises affecting organizational changes are traced in the research. Advanced technologies, methodologies and solutions that contribute to the successful innovation activity of Kazakhstani enterprises are highlighted. Particular attention is paid to qualitative analysis based on the results of case study research aimed at determining the normative benchmarks of innovative transformations of the business community of the country. The multifaceted nature of change management in organizations corresponds to the interdisciplinary approach and integrative solutions in corporate change management from behavioral and social sciences of managing individuals, group dynamics, organizational behavior to project technologies and information business solutions.
The book is addressed to a wide range of readers interested in the problems of change management, innovative activities and advanced technologies of innovative project management.
... (2003) описывают доверие как "клей", который подталкивает команду к успешному завершению проекта. Кроме того, доверие также включает в себя свободу проверять предположения, экспериментировать, совершать ошибки и говорить об них (Dixon, 2017). ...
Растущая глобализация и цифровизация работы привели к
появлению виртуальных проектных команд в качестве популярного
способа совместной работы. Однако мотивация виртуальных проектных
команд может быть сложной задачей из-за отсутствия личного
взаимодействия и трудностей в построении доверия и сплоченности
между членами команды. Цель этой статьи - дать обзор факторов,
влияющих на мотивацию виртуальных проектных команд, и стратегий,
которые можно использовать для повышения мотивации и
производительности. На основе поиска в базах данных Scopus и Web of
Science и поисковых системах в статье определяется важность
коммуникации, ясности целей, обратной связи и лидерства в мотивации
виртуальных проектных команд. В статье также подчеркивается, что
мотивация виртуальных проектных команд требует многогранного
подхода, учитывающего уникальные проблемы и возможности
виртуальной работы.
... The main purpose of the team is to achieve a goal or solve a daily work activity (Buzamăt, 2022). In a team, strategy is turned into action, that is why they must be able to grow and learn (Dixon, 2017). There are different skills needed in daily task completion, so it is obligatory to have diversified teams. ...
Purpose: This article aims to explore the evolving dynamics of teamwork and the emerging leadership characteristics that have been brought about by the shifting landscape of work. It examines how changes in work formats, such as remote and flexible arrangements, have influenced team collaboration and the qualities now crucial for effective leadership in this transformed work environment. By examining these developments, this work tries to provide insights and guidance for both organizations and supervisors to adapt and thrive in this new era of work. Design/methodology/approach: This critical literature review is based on articles focused on the role of leader and manager in the context of teamwork performance, taking into account the recent work form changes, all of the reviewed papers were published between 2017 and 2022. Findings: Today's teams operate differently than those from ten years ago. Newly formed groups should be led by individuals who embody leadership qualities, while also possessing some managerial traits. Leaders, utilizing new ICT tools, can influence every aspect of team management. Modern leadership now requires creativity, inclusivity, global connectivity, collaboration, technical competence, and agility. Additionally, leaders need to be adaptable, emotionally intelligent, and capable of providing moral support, especially in a remote or hybrid work setting. Practical/social implications: The challenges discussed in the reviewed articles suggest that similar issues will arise in most organizations today. Supervisors can use these insights to determine whether their teams need a manager or a leader, based on team conditions. Managers ensure accountability by following established rules, while leaders in-spire and motivate through vision and personal qualities. The choice between a manager and a leader, or a combination of both, depends on the team's specific goals, the nature of the project, and the skills and qualities of the individuals involved. Originality/value: This literature review emphasizes that today’s employees expect supervisors to navigate and act in alignment with contemporary knowledge and technological potentials. Understanding these expectations helps organizations foster better leadership and teamwork in the modern work environment. Keywords: Leader, manager, team, teamwork, remote work. Category of the paper: Literature review. JEL codes: J24, M12, M54, O15.
... • Continue hosting an annual in-person meeting. Dixon (2017) described an in-depth study of a virtual team that used face-to-face interactions as part of their strategy to facilitate learning and foster psychological safety. Some strategies he highlighted for these in-person meetings included, for example, having the team codesigning an agenda, and the use of facilitators and whiteboards to encourage experimentation. ...
Psychological safety is a construct that has garnered attention in academia and industries over the last two decades. Research has shown the connection between psychological safety and several team behaviors, from learning to active caring. Most research however has focused on exploring psychological safety within traditional teams. This paper extends the research on psychological safety by capturing the psychological safety and behavioral dynamics of a global virtual corporate team in the construction industry. We found that psychological safety positively relates to some behaviors such as making reliable promises and active listening, and these in turn positively relate to better team performance. This paper also describes actions the team in the study committed to follow to improve, based on the assessment conducted in this study. Future research should concentrate on using longitudinal assessments to explore variations within the team over time and understand what interventions can improve team dynamics.
... To overcome these team challenges, managerial support is decisive for team member performance and commitment in the FWA context (Gan et al. 2022; Van der Lippe and Lippényi 2020). Leaders must establish routines to enable team members to make decisions autonomously and 'without the feeling that someone is looking over their shoulder' (Dixon 2017). When employees work out of sight, leaders tend to apply more output-oriented control routines (Felstead et al. 2003); i.e., leaving more discretion to the employees for organising their workload. ...
Literature suggests that employees reciprocate the ‘privilege’ for flexible working arrangements (FWA) with higher effort. Drawing on social exchange theory, our interview study investigated how leaders shape members’ beliefs about the need to reciprocate the access to FWA. Based on 20 interviews nested in ten teams from two organisations, we analysed how FWA are perceived and negotiated between team leaders and their members, and whether low or high prevalence of FWA in teams plays a role for establishing social exchange relationships. The interviews took place prior to Covid-19. While in one organisation access to FWA was negotiated individually only due to a specific need, in the other organisation it was facilitated more easily and granting FWA had evolved as a social norm. Our findings indicate that in both contexts FWA indeed initiated social exchange relationships, as team members often tried to return the favour for access to FWA by maintaining the performance and/or by showing high flexibility. When FWA were granted to selected members only (low prevalence), ‘score-keeping’ and ‘quid-pro-quo exchanges’ were mentioned as important exchange rules in the accounts. In the organisation with high FWA prevalence, cooperative team routines showed that members felt the need to reciprocate the favour to other team members or the organisation rather than directly to the leader. However, even in this organisation, leaders were able to establish employees’ belief in privilege and their obligation to reciprocate in order for them not to lose access to FWA. Our findings show the role of the leader in shaping and instrumentalising FWA. The study has high practical relevance for hybrid teams and discusses the essential role of leaders in FWA.
... Entrepreneurs are an important group to study in connection with learning since the knowledge they acquire and apply makes a major contribution to economic growth and employment (Brush 2000;Minniti 2010; Klapper and Parker 2010). In addition, entrepreneurs are an interesting group to study in this respect as they tend to be highly motivated learners (Sarri 2011;Boeren 2011;Fayolle 2013;Czerkawski 2016;Dixon 2017). One of the things entrepreneurs learn is something that can be described as 'entrepreneurship education' because it is tailored to their needs as entrepreneurs. ...
This paper reports on a study of women entrepreneurs running MSMEs in South Wales, a region characterised as having a weak entrepreneurial culture compared to other parts of the UK (Fotopoulos and Storey 2017). One reason for this weakness is perceived to be a lack of entrepreneurship education and in this paper we investigate the hypothesis behind this -that more entrepreneurship education has a positive effect on business success. The investigation consisted of three parts; a set of 59 questions (n=150), followed by a series of face-to-face interviews (n=37), and finally some detailed discussions (n=5). The main finding is that the hypothesis that entrepreneurship education makes a positive contribution to the success of women entrepreneurs needs to be modified to reflect the fact that it is entrepreneurial learning through technologically enabled networks that has such an effect, as it no longer makes sense in the age of social media to separate education from asynchronous networked learning, or to separate the technology from the networking within that learning. The practical implication of this research is that enterprise education courses and programmes designed to support female entrepreneurs need to take better account of the way such women learn. The limitation of the research is that the sample is from a relatively technologically enabled population.
... (2003) описывают доверие как "клей", который подталкивает команду к успешному завершению проекта. Кроме того, доверие также включает в себя свободу проверять предположения, экспериментировать, совершать ошибки и говорить об них (Dixon, 2017). ...
The rise of local and global challenges (such as COVID-19, wars, natural disasters, etc.) requires advanced communication and information technologies to support economic development. The study aims to form a theoretical basis and practical tools for creating and functioning of wiki communities. Wiki communities are a new form of social association based on Internet communications of socio-economic subjects (individuals and organizations), in which each participant has equal rights to receive information, exchange opinions, and generate solutions. The theoretical basis involves substantiating the key principles on which wiki communities are formed, e.g., decentralization, openness, peering, sharing, and mass nature of activity. Wiki communities are represented by a set of specific types, such as professional, academic and research, custom, creative, public and non-commercial communities. The specific managing activities of wiki communities are described by several classification levels, such as operational activities, ensuring security, quality assurance, and motivation. The wiki community management toolkit includes a goal-setting algorithm, decision-making procedures, communications, rules of operation, typical tasks, areas of application, the operation and development cycle, and functional capabilities. It allows effective transfer of information, communication in real-time, and mutually enriching each other in forming knowledge and innovation. AcknowledgmentThe publication was prepared in the framework of the research project “Restructuring of the national economy in the direction of digital transformations for sustainable development” (№0122U001232) from National Research Foundation.
The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic led to challenges that leaders not only had to struggle to meet the basic requirements of their tasks but also rely on their instincts and insights, ensuring the well-being and support for the team members, while working remotely. In this time of crisis, team members faced a variety of stressful experiences, difficult work and leisure conditions, and psychological insecurity. Depending on the conditions caused by the pandemic, the nature of the work, the team member's degree of psychological safety, and their individual characteristics, it is likely that they had their own expectations, what kind of behavior they would prefer from their leader in virtual teamwork. Research problem - What is the interrelationship between the team member's degree of psychological safety and expected leader behaviors in virtual teamwork during a pandemic?
This investigation examines the effects of globalization on the emergence of virtual teams and the optimal leadership approaches to support them. Beginning in the 1940s with the onset of globalization, there has been a notable increase in the use of virtual teams, primarily driven by advancements in technology and the quest for global talent. While these teams offer the benefits of flexibility and a variety of expertise, they also present challenges such as establishing trust and managing differences in time zones. This study adheres to PRISMA guidelines and thoroughly reviews 39 peer-reviewed articles from 2013-2023. The results primarily identify transformational leadership as the most common approach, with shared and transactional leadership also being significant. The success of these leadership styles depends on various factors, including trust, the use of technology, emotional intelligence, and quality of communication. The review suggests that no universal leadership style is suitable for all virtual teams, emphasizing the importance of adaptability and the ability to respond to specific situations.
We consider how the literatures on organizational mindfulness and mindful organizing are relevant to research on organizational change and learning. We start with the tension between mindful and less mindful approaches, such as those that emphasize organizational routines, to change and learning. We posit that organizational routines are essential to mindfulness, but that this role is not elaborated in the mindfulness literature. Thus, we argue that further dialogue between these approaches is necessary and introduce a conceptual model with three dimensions to facilitate the conversation: (1) the periodicity with which learning occurs (i.e., rarely or often), (2) the extensiveness of the object of learning (i.e., local or global), and (3) the degree of cognitive intensity in the learning process (i.e., inert or reflective). The model explores how the different contexts or landscapes that organizations are embedded in influence their capacity for mindfulness, mindful organizing, and change.
Ten years ago, Martins, Gilson, and Maynard reviewed the emerging virtual team (VT) literature. Given the proliferation of new communication technologies and the increased usage of work teams, it is hardly surprising that the last decade has seen an influx of VT research. In this review, we organize the last 10 years of empirical work around 10 main themes: research design, team inputs, team virtuality, technology, globalization, leadership, mediators and moderators, trust, outcomes, and ways to enhance VT success. These themes emerged inductively because they either represent areas with consistent results, a large proliferation of studies, or a grouping of studies and results that differed from where the literature stood a decade ago. Following the review section, we turn our attention toward 10 opportunities for future research: study setting, generational impacts, methodological considerations, new and emerging technologies, member mobility, subgroups, team adaptation, transition processes and planning, creativity, and team member well-being. Some of these opportunities emerged from our review of the extant VT literature; others are grounded in the broader team literature, are unresolved theoretical issues, or were linked to insights discussed within the VT practitioner literature. Within the domain of VTs, technological innovation continues to advance the way team members interact and enable individuals who previously could not be connected to work together as a team. Accordingly, VTs provide great promise to organizations, and the field continues to be rich with research opportunities for the coming decade(s).
This paper discusses psychological safety and distinguishes it from the related construct of interpersonal trust. Trust is the expectation that others' future actions will be favorable to one's interests; psychological safety refers to a climate in which people are comfortable being (and expressing) themselves. Although both constructs involve a willingness to be vulnerable to others' actions, they are conceptually and theoretically distinct. In particular, psychological safety is centrally tied to learning behavior, while trust lowers transactions costs and reduces the need to monitor behavior. This paper proposes a model of antecedents and consequences of psychological safety in work teams and emphasizes the centrality of psychological safety for learning behavior. Drawing from field research in a variety of organizational settings, I describe different approaches to studying and measuring psychological safety in teams. I conclude with implications of this work including limitations of psychological safety in practice and suggestions areas for future research.
This paper presents a model of team learning and tests it in a multimethod field study. It introduces the construct of team psychological safety—a shared belief held by members of a team that the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking—and models the effects of team psychological safety and team efficacy together on learning and performance in organizational work teams. Results of a study of 51 work teams in a manufacturing company, measuring antecedent, process, and outcome variables, show that team psychological safety is associated with learning behavior, but team efficacy is not, when controlling for team psychological safety. As predicted, learning behavior mediates between team psychological safety and team performance. The results support an integrative perspective in which both team structures, such as context support and team leader coaching, and shared beliefs shape team outcomes.
Over the past fifteen years, organizational routines increasingly have been investigated from a process perspective to challenge the idea that routines are stable entities that are mindlessly enacted. We summarize in this chapter what constitutes a process perspective on organizational routines, and document some of the major areas of recent inquiry, including change in routines, the role of artifacts in routine performances, and emergence of routines. Three other themes emerge from the various chapters that constitute this volume: (1) Zooming out to understand routines in larger contexts; (2) Zooming in to reveal actor dispositions and skill; and (3) Innovation, creativity, and routines in ambiguous contexts. The chapters also inspire future research that can extend a process perspective on routines by further zooming out and in, and by potentially using this metaphor to connect distinct findings by scholars studying routines from different perspectives.
In this paper we analyze how the spatiality of interactions influences trust creation in multi-site corporate innovation projects. By drawing on insights from the discussion on initial and gradual trust in combination with contributions from the field of economic geography, we examine factors influencing the creation of trust and their dependence on face-to-face interaction. We develop a conceptual framework that links the spatial constitution of relationships to the creation of both resilient and fragile trust in project work. In doing so, we illustrate the complexity of initial and gradual trust creation and the interplay between personality traits, group-based similarities, situational and institutional factors, reputational inference, and personal interaction. The empirical insights are based on two qualitative case studies on specific innovation projects in multinational companies. Our findings illustrate the need to incorporate spatiality as a facilitating factor in the analysis of trust development.
Ikujiro Nonaka e Hirotaka Takeuchi establecen una vinculación del desempeño de las empresas japonesas con su capacidad para crear conocimiento y emplearlo en la producción de productos y tecnologías exitosas en el mercado. Los autores explican que hay dos tipos de conocimiento: el explícito, contenido en manuales y procedimientos, y el tácito, aprendido mediante la experiencia y comunicado, de manera indirecta, en forma de metáforas y analogías. Mientras los administradores estadounidenses se concentran en el conocimiento explícito, los japoneses lo hacen en el tácito y la clave de su éxito estriba en que han aprendido a convertir el conocimiento tácito en explícito. Finalmente, muestran que el mejor estilo administrativo para crear conocimiento es el que ellos denominan centro-arriba-abajo, en el que los gerentes de niveles intermedios son un puente entre los ideales de la alta dirección y la realidad caótica de los niveles inferiores.
We present a problem-centered organizing framework of trust, in which prominent conceptualizations oi trust and distrust from the organizational and allied social sciences are categorized based on the questions they attempt to answer. The framework we outline here is intended to complement earlier typologies by suggesting alternative strategies for employing the diverse trust literature, identifying questions that could be profitably addressed through interdisciplinary research efforts, and distinguishing disagreements where debate and research would seem to be especially worthwhile from those where such activities would appear to be much less useful.