International Virtual Teams

Engineering Global Success

Pam Estes Brewer

• Publisher: Wiley-IEEE Press
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN: 9781118339008
• eBook ISBN: 9781119064084
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Technology & Engineering Research & Skills
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Dr. Brewer presents a complete guide to international virtual team communication with the most up-to-date research developments in the engineering workplace on a global scale, and a problem-solving approach to using and communicating in virtual teams.

• Presents guidelines heavily based on empirical data
• Application of virtual team communication guidelines to the field of engineering
• Provides strategies and sample projects for teaching

1
The Critical Role of Global Virtual Teams

Virtual teams have become essential units in successful organizations. Where they do not exist, opportunity is lost. Where they are not functioning effectively, opportunity is lost. International virtual teams are the key to some of the biggest successes and failures in the global workplace while organizations learn to operate as complex webs of people. Organizations that successfully employ global virtual teams can access the human resources that allow them to compete internationally.

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Core Concept

Because people must work through technology and across cultures, it is important that they understand the new nature of communication as it passes through these filters.

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Virtual teams, by definition, do much of their work across distances facilitated by technology as opposed to doing much of their work in face-to-face contexts. They can work across small or large distances and can comprise as few as two team members or as many as can be effectively managed for a specific purpose. Technology facilitates communication at a distance and also acts as a filter through which communication must flow. International boundaries present yet another filter through which communication must flow. Because people must work through technology and across cultures, it is important that they understand the new nature of communication as it passes through these filters.

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Definition

Virtual team—a team that does much of its work across distances facilitated by technology as opposed to doing much of its work in face-to-face contexts.

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Needless to say, along with increased opportunities for success in online communication come increased opportunities for miscommunication. All miscommunication is costly to organizations. Consider the following questions as you assess your organization's current use of global virtual teams:

• Do you recognize the value of global virtual teams but find that you do not know how to establish them?
• Does your organization use global virtual teams, but you have a sense that they are not working well? Could they be working better?
• Do you observe intercultural communication impacting the success of your virtual teams but find yourself unsure how to solve intercultural problems online?
• Are you overwhelmed by the number books and articles out there on virtual teams and do not have the time to filter through them?
• Would you like to train your people to work effectively in global virtual teams but you do not know how to create or find effective, targeted training?

This book provides essential information on creating and maintaining successful global virtual teams for those who manage, participate in, or train others in global virtual teams. Based on new studies in engineering communication, this book provides processes and principles that can help establish global virtual teams that work, assess your virtual team climate, and maintain the effectiveness of your virtual teams across cultural boundaries.

In addition, this book provides you with the knowledge and tools necessary to understand the variable contexts of global virtual teams, so that your organization is able to respond to inevitable changes in technology and the global marketplace. Ultimately, effective virtual teams are able to collaborate in ways that work within the context of their organizations.

1.1 Unique Features of This Book

The growth in organizational use of virtual teams has resulted in a corresponding growth in the number of books available on the topic. While this book covers basic virtual team theory in order to provide a complete guide to using global virtual teams, it offers additional elements not provided in other texts:

• an emphasis on international virtual communication
• guidelines that are based heavily on empirical data
• the most current data from engineering workplace research where over 70% of responses come from outside the United States, thus providing a global perspective
• a problem-solving approach to using and communicating in virtual teams
• application of virtual team communication guidelines to the field of engineering
• structured approaches to establishing, assessing, and maintaining global virtual teams

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Definition

Empirical data—data based on observation or experience that has been collected and analyzed systematically.

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You can have confidence in the discussions, methods, and ideas about global virtual teams as well, because the information presented in this book is based on evidence from three sources:

• a survey of engineering professionals
• seven case studies of professionals who work in virtual workplaces
• information gathered and analyzed by many researchers in virtual communication

Basing the information in this book on empirical data and my original research means that I bring you reliable information that is focused on the most current international engineering practice. Throughout this book, I refer to data from a 2013 survey of engineering professionals as Study A. The methodology is reported in Appendix A. I refer to data collected in case studies in 2007 and 2008 as Study B. The methodology for this study is reported in Appendix B.

1.2 Growth in International Virtual Workplaces

Virtual teams serve as a foundation for rapid growth in today's marketplace. Relying on technology to deliver communication, virtual teams connect companies globally and enable rapid growth; they are often constructed of employees working across national boundaries. Consider a few statistics that track global growth of the economy:

• The number of internet users worldwide now numbers over 2 billion which is over 34.3% of the world's population [1], with Internet usage growing significantly in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, Latin America/Caribbean, and Oceana/Australia. Asia has the highest total number of Internet users with 44.8% of global users [1].
• The top 10 internet usage countries as of June 2012 ranked from most to least were China, the United States, India, Japan, Brazil, Russia, Germany, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, and France [1].
• While Asia now has the greatest number of internet users in the world, it has a below average percentage of users for its population at just 27% [1].
• Business Insider, Economy Watch, and the International Monetary Fund report that the countries which will have the most rapid economic growth in the next 40 years include India, Iraq, Sri Lanka, Qatar, Turkmenistan, and China [2].

Refer to Table 1.1 for a look at some of the most influential economies of the future based on size and speed of growth.

Table 1.1 Ten economies are in the lead for a healthy future based on size and speed of growth.

Business Insider (10 largest economies of 2050 based on GDP) [3]	The Economist (10 fastest growing economies based on GDP) [4]
China	Mongolia
United States	Macau
India	Libya
Japan	China
Germany	Bhutan
United Kingdom	Timor-Leste
Brazil	Iraq
Mexico	Mozambique
France	Rwanda
Canada	Ghana

Between the two lists identifying size and speed, you can see how virtual teams are a critical tool for connecting the global market.

1.3 The International Nature of Virt...

Table of contents

• Cover
• IEEE Press
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• A Note from the Series Editor
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• 1: The Critical Role of Global Virtual Teams
• 2: Virtual Team Basics
• 3: Cultural Preparation for Virtual Teams
• 4: Patterns That Challenge the Effectiveness of Global Virtual Teams
• 5: How to Prevent, Identify, and Resolve Miscommunication in Virtual Teams
• 6: Technology and Global Virtual Teams
• 7: Establishing Successful Global Virtual Teams
• 8: Evaluating and Maintaining Effective Global Virtual Teams
• 9: Designing Training for Global Virtual Team Communication
• A: Methods Used in Study A (Survey on Using International Virtual Teams in Engineering)
• B: Methods Used in Study B (Case Study Research of International Virtual Teams)
• Glossary
• Index
• Books in the IEEE PRESS SERIES ON PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING COMMUNICATION
• EULA