The University of Ljubljana – School of Economics and Business

Course: Organization and Management

Course director(s): Vlado Dimovski, Ph.D., Full Professor and
Matej Lahovnik, PhD, Full Professor
Course teaching colleagues: Aleša Saša Sitar, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Simon Colnar, Ph.D., Assistant Professor

Study program: Business Informatics

Study year: 2022/2023

Individual seminar work

in the course
ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT

Analysis and Evaluation of the Article »A Tale of

Two Teams:
Next-Generation Strategies for Increasing
the
Effectiveness of Global Virtual Teams«

Student (surname and first name): Avdić Maida

Student number: 19599728
Group: PINFO1

Ljubljana, 07.12.2022.
Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 3
1 Short abstract of the assigned article ............................................................................................... 3
2 Analysis of the article......................................................................................................................... 4
2.1. Presentation of the authors and the journal ............................................................................ 4
2.2 Topic, main research question, the purpose of the article and goals of the article ............... 4
2.3 Description of scientific/professional field ................................................................................ 5
2.4 Definition of main concepts, constructs, or variables and description of the
anticipated relationship between concepts ..................................................................................... 6
2.5 Description of the research methods or technique of research ............................................... 7
2.6 Description of results .................................................................................................................. 8
2.7 Article contributions ................................................................................................................. 12
3 Evaluation of the article .................................................................................................................. 12
3.1 Critical evaluation of the article and personal opinion ......................................................... 12
3.2 Extending and gaining more in-depth knowledge about the topic of the article ....... 12
3.3 Practical use of the article ........................................................................................................ 13
3.4 Novelties of the article .............................................................................................................. 14
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................... 15
Literature and sources ........................................................................................................................ 16

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Introduction

This seminar work discusses different strategies that can influence how effective Global Virtual
Teams (GVTs) are. The use of GVTs can bring undeniable value to a company.
The purpose of the seminar work is to provide members and leaders of GVTs with ideas,
strategies, and tools for participating in or leading GVTs effectively. Global Virtual Teams can
be a valuable tool for any company and understanding what areas problems can arise in and
how to manage these areas can help with ensuring that GVTs function effectively.
The goals of this seminar work are to present the findings of the article “A Tale of Two Teams:
Next Generation Strategies for Increasing the Effectiveness of Global Virtual Teams”, analyze
them, and give insights into the next-generation strategies that can be used to increase the
effectiveness of GVTs which are presented in the article. Two additional articles are also
presented to provide readers with a deeper understanding of the impacts of the issues discussed
in the work on the effectiveness of GVTs. The seminar work also gives two practical examples
to further expand on the topic.
The methods used in this seminar work are an in-depth analysis of the assigned article and a
literature review which included two additional articles and two practical examples.
In chapter 1., an abstract of the assigned article is provided. In chapters 2, 2.1, and 2.2, the
authors and the journal are presented, and the topic, main research questions, purpose, and
goals for the articles are defined. In chapters 2.3 and 2.4, a description of the broader
professional field is given and the main concepts and the relationship between them are defined.
In chapter 2.5, the research methods used in the article are presented, and to finalize the
analysis, in chapter 2.6, the results are presented and explained. In chapter 3., I give my
evaluation of the article. Chapter 3.1 contains my personal opinion on the article, and in chapter
3.2, I present two additional articles to deepen the reader’s understanding of the topic. With the
same goal, in chapter 3.3, I provide two practical examples. In chapter 3.4, I explain what are
the novelties that the article provided and how to proceed further with the research on the topic.

1 Short abstract of the assigned article

This article proposes next-generation strategies which can improve the effectiveness of Global
Virtual Teams if approached appropriately. The authors did their research in two parts,
quantitative and qualitative, and they used several different research methods which included
interviews, observations, and surveys. The authors use a case comparison of two different
teams at the company Alcoa. They compare how these two teams approached each relevant
area or next-generation strategies. The authors conclude that GVTs need to have formalized
objectives, that cultural differences and disagreements have to be acknowledged and addressed
and members should have an identity affiliation with their GVT. Additionally, the authors
conclude that GVTs should make use of appropriate tools for achieving GVT objectives and
tasks. It is critical to foster vitality and curiosity so as to keep individuals motivated to support
team goals through regular active participation.

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2 Analysis of the article
2.1. Presentation of the authors and the journal

Cristina B. Gibson graduated with her bachelor’s study in Psychology at Scripps College in
Claremont, California in 1990. In 1995, she acquired a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior
(Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, o. D.).

At the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, Cristina B. Gibson currently holds the title of
Dean's Distinguished Professor of Management in the department of Applied Behavioral
Science. She works with the American Psychological Association, the Academy of Social
Science Australia, the Academy of Management, and the Academy of International Business.
Cristina is an expert on diversity, corporate-community relationships, and technology-enabled
innovation (Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, o. D.).
She combines cross-cultural psychology, organizational science, and global management in
her work. Her work gives voice to those who possess different methods, viewpoints, and
expertise, and it offers proof of effective ways to recognize, celebrate, and overcome disparities
that are related to ethnicity, national culture, functional disciplines, and value systems (AIB),
2021). She notes in her LinkedIn profile, that she has the honor of being recognized by a
Stanford University study of scientific impact as among the top 2% of 7 million scientists
worldwide, and the American Psychological Association recently awarded her with the
Humanitarian Impact Award for her interventions involving corporations, non-profits, and at-
risk communities which have developed cultural competency and self-determination. Aside
from these, she has received many other recognitions and awards from numerous institutions
(Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, o. D.-b).

Svetlana (Yana) V. Grushina studies organizational communication from the viewpoint of

communication as a fundamental part of the social world. This perspective allows us to see
how ideas like organizational sustainability, team effectiveness, and CSR are primarily
expressed in and through communication, customs, and practices. She has used qualitative and
quantitative methods while working independently and with international research, teams to
gain a better understanding of how communication influences a wide range of productivity
outcomes for global teams as well as the quality of life of stakeholders. Her area of expertise
is using qualitative methods. She has lived and conducted field research in Russia, Australia,
Brazil, Mozambique, the United States, Jamaica, and Germany (Svetlana (Yana) V. Grushina,
2022).

The article “A Tale of Two Teams” was published in the journal Organizational Dynamics.
Organizational behavior and growth are the primary focus of Organizational Dynamics, and
HRM and strategic management are a close second. Linking cutting-edge theory and research
with management practice is the goal of the journal. Articles in Organizational Dynamics
explain how research findings might help cope with organizational life dynamics more
effectively by merging theoretical and practical material (ScienceDirect, n.d.).
2.2 Topic, main research question, the purpose of the article and goals of the article

The article I was assigned shows what factors influence the effectiveness and efficiency of
Global Virtual Teams. The authors did their research at Alcoa Corporation. At Alcoa, Global
Virtual Teams, formed from specialists who occupied similar roles in different locations, were
formed to identify, codify and disseminate updated, more efficient operational procedures. In

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this article, the authors presented their results by comparing two differently organized GVTs
to demonstrate which areas made the difference between effective and ineffective teams.

The main research question is: What areas need special attention when it comes to GVTs?
What differentiates the effective and ineffective teams at Alcoa Corporation concerning these
areas?

The purpose of the article is to illustrate, using the example of Alcoa, what characterizes an
effective Global Virtual Team, and in doing that, to give insight to GVT managers into what
areas of managing GVTs they should be concentrating on and how. The authors use their
research to show how two vastly different teams approached the most relevant strategies for
utilizing GVTs as tools for improving business processes. In doing this, they offer the best
solutions for organizing and leading GVTs to leaders of GVTs, any organization, or individuals
who may find this information useful. As all of the author’s findings and conclusions are based
on extensive research, this article gives valuable insight into the inner workings of Global
Virtual Teams in practice.

The goal of the article is to illustrate the results of the author’s research by using a comparison
between two virtual teams named by pseudonyms Al2 and O3. O3 has been proven by the
author’s research to be one of the most functional GVTs at Alcoa, while Al2 illustrated what
mistakes lead to an ineffective GVT. Using these two teams, which were two extremes of
possible outcomes of GVTs, the authors were able to accentuate useful and functional practices
compared with practices that were the opposite. They compared how these two teams
approached the following areas:
• Formalizing Objectives and Structure
• Establishing Identity
• Bridging Cultural Differences
• Addressing Disagreements
• Developing Technology Repertoires
• Maintaining Vitality

2.3 Description of scientific/professional field

Team management is a system for developing a high-performance culture which involves all
personnel. A performance management methodology which includes all employees working to
achive coordinated, quantifiable performance objectives, is known as team management.

Many experts see virtual teams (VTs) as geographically dispersed, technologically reliant,
dynamic, or composed of varied people working remotely (Gibson and Cohen, 2003; Griffith,
Sawyer, and Neale, 2003; Martins, Gilson, and Maynard,2004; Kirkman and Mathieu, 2005,
Gibson C.B., Gibbs J.L., 2006). According to a Gartner survey, more than 60% of professional
employees operate in VTs (Kanawattanachai & Yoo, 2002), indicating that this is an important
field of study in today's corporate environment.

Early definitions of VTs attempted to differentiate between virtual teams and face-to-face
teams by emphasizing physical dispersion and interaction based on technology. Such
descriptions were acceptable for the time, however, as the study focus shifted to organizational
teams executing "real-world" activities, the definition of VTs began to expand and change
(Martins et al., 2004). DeSanctis and Monge (1999) and Jarvenpaa and Leidner (1999)

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described VTs as groups whose members are geographically dispersed, who communicate
virtually using computer-mediated communication tools, are functionally different, and operate
in a temporary system.
These new working arrangements need different leadership methodologies which will describe
how to effectively lead teams in a virtual setting. Virtual teams are thought to be more difficult
to handle than usual in-person teams (Nunamaker, Reinig, & Brigg, 2009). They are becoming
more widespread as a result of technology and organizational changes coming together, as well
as a number of business advantages associated with using these types of teams (Solomon,
2001).

2.4 Definition of main concepts, constructs, or variables and description of the

anticipated relationship between concepts

• Global Virtual Teams

GVTs are described as a group of employees who are officially recognized by their company
as a team, include members from different countries, are all responsible for business results
across locations, and rely on technology use to carry out their tasks (Gibson & Grushina, 2021).
GVTs can also be described as groupings of people from all over the world who work together
and communicate using electronic technology (Grosse, C. U. (2002)) with little face-to-face
interaction, which saves both time and money.

• Formalization
The formalization of global virtual teams is essential in creating global teams. It is described
as a set of formalized guidelines that individuals must follow to control their conduct, direct
their actions, and maintain appropriate social roles (Gibson & Grushina, 2021).
Formalizing rules, policies, and procedures assists with maintaining coordination and hence
enhances global integration, but it can also limit the flexibility required to adjust practices to
each place (Martinez & Jarillo, 1991; Eisenhardt, Furr, & Bingham, 2010; Kortmann, Gelhard,
Zimmermann, & Piller, 2014; Gibson, Dunlop & Cordery 2019).

• Identity
People frequently use phrases like "I work at this company" or "I am an engineer" to describe
who they are. These are instances of work identities, which are employees' self-concepts or
subjective interpretations of themselves based on their membership in work-related groups.
(Stryker & Serpe, 1994; Ashforth et al., 2008).
In terms of identity, the researchers in the article mention five distinctive categories that Alcoa
employees identified with: their nationality, Alcoa, their refinery, their GVT, and their
profession. Employees identifying with their GVTs helps the actualization of the purpose of
GVTs in terms of it being a resource that helps employees in doing their jobs well (Gibson &
Grushina, 2021).

• Culture
Culture is a hard concept to preciselly define because it is multifaceted. It can be viewed as a
whole way of life, or the beliefs, values, symbols, and customs by which a group of people
live. There are however, many different definitions. Clyde Kluckhohn (1961, p.73) presented
a widely accepted definition that integrated many of these perspectives which says that culture
consists of patterned mindsets, feeling, and reacting, attained and conveyed primarily through
symbols, which constitute the distinctive achievement of communities, including their

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embodiment in artifacts. The core of culture is compromised of traditional ideas,
and particularly their attached values (Kluckhohn C. 1961)
Culture is a very important aspect when it comes to team management and organization
designs. It influences how employees see strategy objectives, how they view authority, how
they communicate, and this has an enormous impact on how managers must approach
managing and organizing people.

• Technology Repertoires
Technology Repertoires are a set of tools that GVTs can use to communicate, share knowledge,
and plan and schedule meetings. Conference calls, knowledge repositories, instant messaging
applications, email, planning, and scheduling tools, as well as face-to-face meetings, are all
part of the technology repertoires GVTs can use. (Gibson & Grushina, 2021)

• Vitality
The Britannica dictionary defines vitality as the power or ability of something to continue to
live and be successful. In relation to GVTs, maintaining vitality means making sure that
members feel that their participation in GVTs is important and that they view their GVT as a
tool that can help them do their job better.

The relationship between these concepts presents itself in that all these concepts demand
attention in leading and participating in Global Virtual Teams. Each of the concepts contributes
to effective functioning of Global Virtual Teams.

2.5 Description of the research methods or technique of research

The authors conducted research constructed of two phases: the qualitative and the quantitative.

In the qualitative phase, they first performed interviews with 71 members of 16 different teams,
across locations of Alcoa’s refineries, which were recorded and transcribed. The authors also
used observation as a research method. They observed the GVTs by attending, recording, and
transcribing conference calls held by the teams over six-months period and the face-to-face
interactions for 22 teams. Websites, meeting minutes, postings in the repositories, and other
data were examined as well. (Gibson & Grushina, 2021)

After the qualitative part of the research, four waves of 200-question surveys were conducted
with members of 50 teams. Each of the surveys were held 6 months apart from one other.
Following the second survey, the researchers performed a training with half of the teams. Then,
in the following surveys, they were able to compare the responses from the teams that did and
those that didn’t participate in the training.
Additionally, the Head of Global Knowledge Management provided an independent third-party
rating of all the teams at each time point. His assessment did a valuable rating of the team's
overall effectiveness, given his experience and ongoing work with them. (Gibson & Grushina,
2021)
In the article, the authors use a case comparison between two contrasting teams to illustrate
their differences and the correct approach to each area.

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2.6 Description of results

In the article “A Tale of Two Teams: Next Generation Strategies for Increasing the
Effectiveness of Global Virtual Teams”, using the information gathered by their research, the
authors discuss areas in which teams Al2 and O3 differed and reveal learnings for achieving
GVT success.
The first area the authors mention is formalizing the objectives and structure of GVTs.
Formalizing objectives is a significant component of managing GVTs. Objectives help
members understand what the priorities are, and they ensure that GVTs are used as a purposeful
mechanism for knowledge exchange. In the GVT Al2, although the members are led by a
general sense of GVTs significance and have a vague sense of the GVTs mission, they were
not able to articulate specific goals or objectives. In contrast, the O3 GVT had specific
objectives, an annual agenda, and agendas for individual meetings. Care was taken when
creating the objectives to make sure they related to every location represented on the team. The
members were aware of the annual agenda, and the objectives of the GVT (Gibson & Grushina,
2021).
The chart below is provided in the article to illustrate the perceived levels of structure among
members of both teams.

Figure 1 - GVT Formalization

Source: Source: Gibson, C. B. & Grushina, S. V. (2021)

The second area mentioned in the article is about establishing identity. Scholars have
discovered that for a person to develop loyalty and commitment to a particular group, it helps
when they identify with that group (Gibson & Grushina, 2021). The researchers in the article
asked employees at Alcoa to evaluate the extent to which they identified with five different
groups: their nationality, Alcoa, their refinery, their GVT, and their profession. The results are
shown in the pie charts below.

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 Figure 2 - GVT member's sources of identification
Source: Gibson, C. B. & Grushina, S. V. (2021)

Team Al2 members do not share a sense of common identity in their GVT. The only
commonality team members feel they share with other members of the GVT is their type of
work.
In contrast, O3 members feel that everyone in the GVT shares a common mission. They view
the GVT as a resource, a group that provides them advice, facilitates best practice transfer, and
as an essential part of personal growth.
The way they achieved such results could be split into three steps. First, they made sure that
every agenda contained the name of the team and the names of all members which helped to
make them feel part of the team. Secondly, the Global Knowledge Manager encouraged all of
the teams to establish a webpage on the internal server. The GVT O3 took this to heart, and
team members regularly contribute and respond to content on the website. Finally, the team
facilitator made sure to use words like “we, us, our” to build member identification with the
group further (Gibson & Grushina, 2021).

Regarding the area of cultural differences, the authors explain that these differences affect how
individuals interact with others in teams and how they approach their work. For a lot of people,
their cultural affiliation influences their communication style, how they respond to conflict,
their preference for certain organizational structures, and many different areas that determine
how they function in a work environment. However, it is important to note that, just because
someone is a member of a culture, that does not mean that they will share the prevailing values
ascribed to that group. Some people do not have a strong affiliation with their culture, which
might be because of influences of other cultures, being born, growing up, or living in different
countries for prolonged periods of time. That means, that, one should not assume cultural
affiliations of other people based on their skin color, their accent, or where they live.
What the authors find, when comparing GVTs Al2 and O3, is that O3 members were able to
provide many examples of cultural differences, these differences were acknowledged, and
necessary adaptations have been made. In Al2, however, the presence of cultural differences
was evident, but there were not many members who acknowledged them, and many members
were under the impression that these differences were inconsequential. The cultural differences
were present but were not addressed and adaptations in line with those differences were not
being made. The important conclusion the authors made was that when members of a team
represent different cultures, it is important to acknowledge how these differences can manifest
at work and that members should be flexible when it comes to ways of achieving objectives
(Gibson & Grushina, 2021).

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When it comes to addressing disagreements, many scholars assert that conflict is inevitable in
teams and that disagreements are even more likely to arise in GVTs. However, differences in
opinions can be useful for coming up with new ideas and identifying best practices.
In team Al2, it was found that most members would express that disagreements simply do not
happen in their team. Some members expressed that disagreements are not usually visible to
everyone during meetings or anything like that. Members would tend to speak offline and
privately, but wouldn’t state that opinion in the GVT, where it could contribute to solutions
that everyone can accept. In other words, it was evident that disagreements did arise, but an
environment where sharing different opinions was encouraged was not established, so
members did not share their different opinions with the GVT.
GVT O3, however, shows that it is better to let differences of opinion surface and develop
solutions that everyone can accept. This is only possible when members feel comfortable
opening up and sharing their perspectives (Gibson & Grushina, 2021).

In Alcoa, GVTs were organized and managed using knowledge repositories, calls, email, tools
for scheduling and planning, messaging tools, and face-to-face meetings. In the pie charts
below, taken from the article, the authors show the use of technology in teams Al2 and O3.

Figure 3 – GVT technology use

Source: Gibson, C. B. & Grushina, S. V. (2021)

The most noticeable difference visible from the chart is that the O3 GVT members use
conference calls much more than Al2 GVT members (38% vs 25%). Al2 GVT members are
less reliant on conference calls, and in turn more reliant on the individual, independent work
on team tasks. Al2 conference calls were usually scheduled to take place once every two
months with 4-8 members present. All locations were never represented in one call and even
though some locations tended to be present less than others, the locations that were absent
varied from call to call. Sometimes the calls were canceled, or the quorum wasn’t reached. The
GVT manager sent out the agenda ahead of time and asked members to contribute their topics
of interest or give ideas. However, the response was low with one or two people contributing.
During the conference call, only a few people contributed to the discussion while the others
stayed silent. So, an environment where members would be comfortable participating was not
established (Gibson & Grushina, 2021).
O3, however, had consistent participation in conference calls by most members. The
conferences were held on the first workday of the month, and they had 15-20 people present,
and all locations represented. The agenda included a detailed schedule of presentations and
times allowed for updates from each refinery location (Gibson & Grushina, 2021).

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Members of the O3 GVT used a greater variety of tools in their tool kit than Al2 did. Al2 spent
a lot of time on one technology, the knowledge repositories, but this may have been because it
was not well-organized, and it was often not suited to the particular work the GVT was dealing
with at the time. Al2 members didn’t make use of the discussion board, and they were not
encouraged to use this tool by their leader either. O3, however, divided their attention across
all available tools. Members mentioned how they often went to discussion boards when they
encountered an issue, as often, someone already found the solution to the problem and talked
about it in the discussion board. Members also encouraged each other to post answers directly
to the discussion board, so other people can spare time to find an answer in case they encounter
the same problem.
Face-to-face gatherings are also communication and knowledge transfer tools the article
mentions. Members of Al2 were reluctant to devote the time necessary to organize and hold
these gatherings. Members of O3, however, expressed a general sense that face-to-face events
should be routine for many reasons. Some of them are increased identification and satisfaction
with their GVTs, knowledge transfer benefits, and an overall alignment of goals or objectives.
Even in the post-Covid reality, face-to-face interaction carries enormous value. Nevertheless,
one disadvantage of face-to-face meetings being held live instead of online is the decrease in
the number of participants. So the authors argue that planned opportunities for virtual meetings
that include affordances for informal socialization as well as structured, objective-driven
sessions would help team members build relationships and get to know each other, just as
organized workplace socialization usually does (Gibson & Grushina, 2021).

The last area the authors draw our attention to is maintaining the vitality of GVTs. In this part
of the article, the authors conclude that to ensure that GVTs are seen as beneficial by members,
and not just a cumbersome addition to their daily tasks, it is necessary to construct an
environment that orients members toward active knowledge production, as opposed to passive
knowledge acquisition. GVT O3 leaders and members addressed the challenges of competing
priorities of members and made extensive efforts to participate, which in turn, helped them see
the benefits of participation in their GVT (Gibson & Grushina, 2021).

The Global Knowledge Manager was asked to rate each team on a variety of indicators. His
evaluation for GVTs Al2 and O3 is shown in the chart below. O3 was recognized as one of the
strongest among the GVTs at Alcoa and has been most successful in developing, documenting,
and implementing best practices (Gibson & Grushina, 2021).

Figure 3 – GVT technology use

Source: Gibson, C. B. & Grushina, S. V. (2021)

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2.7 Article contributions

The article provides both theoretical contributions and managerial implications.

The article’s theoretical contributions are providing information about the inner workings of
GVTs, based on research. The authors did extensive research using different research methods
and based on their results, they were able to identify key areas or next-generation strategies
that make or break a Global Virtual Team. Their results provide the reader with an
understanding of how GVTs function, what areas can influence the effectiveness of GVTs, and
what are the best ways of approaching these areas. The research that was conducted provides
a firm basis for further research on this topic.

In terms of its managerial implications, this article serves as a guide for leaders of GVTs in
managing and organizing their teams. It gives specific instructions on best practices in GVT
management based on their research. The authors show these necessary steps to take though
addressing the key areas which need attending to. In formalizing objectives and structure,
establishing identity, bridging cultural differences, addressing disagreements, developing
technology repertoires, and maintaining vitality, managers of GVTs are set to have an effective
and efficient Global Virtual Team.

3 Evaluation of the article

3.1 Critical evaluation of the article and personal opinion

Generally, I do not see many negative sides to this article. I enjoy the writing style and I believe
the authors illustrated all their points extremely well.
Seeing as the authors did their own research, all conclusions made in the article were based on
their findings. This, in my opinion, gives the article more credibility as the authors knew first-
hand how the different teams functioned and how the opinions and views of members of
different teams differed. This also enabled authors to provide many quotes from GVT
members’ interviews which help in presenting a picture to the reader of how the members view
the relevant issues discussed in the article.

Additionally, I like that the authors use a case comparison between the two vastly different
teams, Al2 and O3. In my personal opinion, this comparison helps in explaining how important
it is to attend to all the individual areas the authors cover in this article.

One criticism I would like to give is that, in the end, the authors could have given more attention
to other teams, as to mention how other successful teams may have approached the critical
areas, and if there were teams which attended to some areas less than O3 and more than O3 to
others, and how this influence their results.

3.2 Extending and gaining more in-depth knowledge about the topic of the article

I found two articles to provide more in-depth information about some of the strategies
introduced in the original article.
The first article is “Drivers of Employee Engagement in Global Virtual Teams” by Farheen
Fathima Shaik and Upam Pushpak Makhecha. The authors of this study attempt to comprehend
the team members' experiences of GVTs and identify the factors that affect employee

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engagement in GVTs and then compare them with the environment of a traditional collated
team. According to their interpretive analysis, businesses should put an emphasis on selecting
the right team members and providing them with the right technology as well as appropriate
communication. They also stress how crucial it is to develop a culture of trust between the
members because doing so helps to create a stimulating workplace. In relation to the article
which was the subject of analysis in this seminar work, this article by Shaik F.F. and Makhecha
U.P. confirms a lot of the conclusions provided by authors Gibson and Grushina in the original
article.
This article also accentuates the importance of structure when setting expectations, the
significance of agendas, set objectives, regular scheduled meetings, and continuous reiteration
of goals, which stands in line with points made in the original article. The article “Drivers of
Employee Engagement in Global Virtual Teams” also mentions coordination issues that arise
because of time differences, how to embrace cultural diversity, and the use of technology by
GVTs (Shaik & Makhecha, 2019).

All points made in this article on these subjects confirm the claims made in the original article.

The second article I found is “Diversity and Communication in Virtual Project Teams” by
Mervi Varhelati and Turnquist Tiia. This article analyzes data which was collected from 104
responses to an online questionnaire. It demonstrates how a clear communication strategy and
set of norms are necessary for effective communication in a multidisciplinary and multicultural
VT. This study also demonstrates how team members see formal and informal communication
as being a part of virtual communication and how using different elements of video conference
technologies helps communication. According to the authors, a high degree of expertise is
typically not required in VTs. Members will show a greater effort during conversations when
they are aware of linguistic differences, which improves relationships among members and
encourages better communication. Additionally, they found that virtual team members do not
see web camera use during the team-forming stage as important. I found this particularly
interesting, as the importance of a web camera in getting to know each other is often highlighted
by many authors. This result, the authors of the article note, may be explained by the fact that
teams prefer written communication at the beginning of the project to allow more time for
thinking and in case of language barriers, checking what to write. When it comes to diversity,
the results of the research presented in this article show that linguistic, occupational, and
cultural diversity has positive effects on communication and innovation in virtual teams. The
authors note that possible barriers related to diversity are diminished once the team members
start to get to know each other. (Varhelahti & Turnquist, 2021).

The results of the research presented in this article correlate well with and further deepen the
conclusions of the article “A Tale of Two Teams”, especially when talking about cultural
differences.

3.3 Practical use of the article

The first practical example I found is a company named GitLab. This example relates to my
seminar work topic because all GitLab employees work remotely in virtual teams. On their
website, they provide extensive information about the inner workings of virtual teams,
however, I will be focusing mainly on their “handbook-first” approach.
A team of programmers needed a way to collaborate, therefore GitLab was created as an open-
source project in 2011. Today, millions of people utilize this platform to deliver software more
quickly and effectively while enhancing security and compliance. GitLab is an entirely remote

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organization, but this was not always the case. After their first team members began choosing
to work from home, it was a natural transition. Remote work at GitLab leads to the development
of their publicly viewable handbook, which contains all information about the company. When
it comes to objectives, at GitLab, each department and team has quarterly goals, which are also
documented in the handbook. They review these objectives once a month to ensure that each
team's progress is as transparently reported as possible. This way of documenting
information makes it easier for new team members to get up to speed because all the
information is stored in one place. GitLab highlights that companies and teams should have a
documentation strategy from the start. As a team scales, the need for documentation will
increase in parallel with the cost of not doing it. Team members benefit from having a single
source of truth to rely on. The kind of business that puts documentation first, can function with
a level of effectiveness that is almost miraculous. If a business doesn't make a serious effort to
provide structured documentation, its team members will continue to interrupt work sessions,
schedule meetings, and inefficiently transmit knowledge by repeatedly asking for the same
information (GitLab’s Guide to All-Remote, o. D.).

The second practical example I will present is the company SAP, or more precisely, a global
team called the SAP NetWeaver RIG (Regional Implementation Group) Americas. They are a
global team, constructed of a team in EMEA, a team in Asia-Pacific and Japan, and a team in
the Americas. The team in the Americas is made of people in the United States, Canada, and
Argentina. I will focus on how they approach acclimating new team members which became
more of an issue as their team grew. It was simpler to get to know everyone when the team was
first assembled and only included about 10 people, and they even met in person several times
a year. As the team became larger over time, the only true occasion when a new team member
could physically meet everyone on the team were events like SAP TechEd which all members
attend. They had to think of ways to help this new person feel like they are a part of the team
and become a productive member. Firstly, they would introduce them to everyone on their
weekly team call. Then, they would assign a mentor to support them in getting used to how the
team operates. As the new person would start to contact the existing team members when they
encounter issues and vice versa, the level of trust would grow and with that, the new team
member would be absorbed into the team. This relationship would usually be solidified when
people meet in person. They believe the team manager has to know how to identify problems
as soon as they arise and swiftly find solutions. They also note that the impact of a written text
should never be undervalued. It's crucial for team members to think about how they convey
their opinions in writing and how others will read and interpret the messages to avoid being
misunderstood right away. When team members come from a variety of cultural backgrounds,
this becomes even more crucial. Working in an online team is different from working in a
physical team, but it is not more difficult. The team should succeed if its members are willing
to make changes to make it function (Anderson, 2006).
I included this example as I view the problem of acclimating new members to a VT to be a
very prominent issue. In everyday life, we are witnesses to how hard it is to become part of a
group in which people already know each other for prolonged periods of time. Now if we look
at this issue through the lens of GVTs, we can see how absorbing new people into the GVT
would be especially challenging, considering all the issues this seminar work already covered.

3.4 Novelties of the article

The article presents findings on how GVT leaders should approach different strategies for
increasing the effectiveness of GVTs. The authors use six strategies to convey what areas are

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important for team managers to focus on, and how they should approach these strategies. It
brings a valuable insight into the topic of GVT management, considering the velocity of the
research conducted by the authors. The authors draw the conclusion that clearly stated
objectives and a well-defined structure can lessen ambiguity and encourage GVT members to
remain connected and involved with the team. Additionally, their study revealed that high GVT
identification encourages team members to emphasize teamwork and maintain their
commitment to the group. At the same time, other sources of identity, such as culture, and any
cultural differences and disagreements should be acknowledged and addressed. The article also
explains that teams should choose the right technology for specific tasks at hand by diagnosing
the reasons for using technology and shifting to more appropriate technologies if needed when
tasks change. Finally, the article shows that GVTs which infuse their members with energy and
a sense of being "alive," use active knowledge production (as opposed to passive knowledge
acquisition). This can be accomplished by promoting active sharing about one's context and
circumstances, allowing for the "whole person" to come to work, and scheduling time for social
interaction and celebration.

In future research, it would be useful to define a methodology for each next-generation strategy,
or area of GVTs mentioned in the article, especially for formalizing objectives and structure. I
believe it would be helpful to GVT managers, but also team members, to have a framework for
approaching managing and participating in Global Virtual Teams.

Conclusion

This seminar work used an in-depth analysis of the assigned article “A Tale of Two Teams” to
present strategies for structuring and leading effective Global Virtual Teams. These strategies
are: formalizing objectives and structures, establishing identity, bridging cultural differences,
addressing disagreements, developing technological repertoires, and maintaining vitality. The
analysis of the article was constructed of seven parts. To start, a presentation of the authors and
journal, the topic, the main research questions, the purpose, and the goals of the article were
provided. Next, the main concepts were defined, as well as the relationships between them.
Then the research methods and the results of the article were presented. After the analysis of
the article, two additional articles were presented to help bring the readers closer to
understanding the topic of this seminar work and broaden their knowledge of it. The practical
examples that were presented afterward, also have the reader further insight into this topic in
use in practice.

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