Effective Virtual Teams through Communities of Practice by Chris Kimble, Alexis Barlow, Feng Li :: SSRN

Chris Kimble

Euromed Marseille École de Management

Alexis Barlow

Glasgow Caledonian University - Caledonian Business School

Feng Li

Strathclyde Business School - Department of Management Science


September 2000

Strathclyde Business School Management Science Working Paper No. 2000/9

Abstract:
This paper examines the nature of virtual teams and their place in the networked economy. It presents a framework for categorising virtual teams and argues that fundamental changes have taken place in the business environment which force people and organisations to operate in 'two spaces' simultaneously: the physical space and the electronic space. It highlights some of the issues of trust and identity that exist in virtual teams and argues that, due to certain barriers, only a small proportion of these teams reach a satisfactory level of performance. Using the evidence from two recent sets of studies, it highlights some of the barriers to effective virtual team working and demonstrates the critical importance of trust and social bonding to the functioning of such teams. It reports on the use of a 'Community of Practice' in a virtual team and argues that this may provide one mechanism for overcoming some of the barriers. Finally, it argues that many of the problems stem from a lack of understanding of the new geography of the information economy and that, rather than accepting the notion that 'geography no longer matters', continued efforts must be made to understand the relationship between the physical world in which we live and the electronic world of virtual team working.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 15

Keywords: Virtual Teams, Communities of Practice, Globalisation, Teleworking, Electronic Space, Physical Space

JEL Classifications: J24, M54, O31

Working Paper Series

Effective Virtual Teams through Communities of Practice by Chris Kimble, Alexis Barlow, Feng Li :: SSRN

1- Modified Stage-Gate: A Conceptual Model of Virtual Product Development Process

2- Innovation and R&D Activities in Virtual Team

3- Virtual Teams: A Literature Review

4- Virtual Teams for New Product Development: An Innovative Experience for R&D Engineers

5- Virtual R&D Teams in Small and Medium Enterprises: A Literature Review

6- SMEs; Virtual Research and Development (R&D) Teams and New Product Development: A Literature Review

7- Work Together…When Apart Challenges and What is Need for Effective Virtual Teams

8-Virtual R&D Teams and SMEs Growth: A Comparative Study between Iranian and Malaysian SMEs

9-Critical Factors for New Product Developments in SMEs Virtual Team

10- The Effectiveness of Virtual R&D Teams in SMEs: Experiences of Malaysian SMEs