coeur - bcm business creativity module “virtual group dynamics, leadership and network building”...

COEUR - BCMBusiness Creativity Module

“Virtual group dynamics, leadership and network building”

Andrew Turnbull, Aberdeen Business School, Aberdeen, Scotland

Group dynamics, leadership and network building

Learning Outcomes

1. Understanding group dynamics in (virtual) teams and how to optimise your (virtual) group

2. Exercising shared leadership

3. Network building


Suggested Outputs

1. Hard: an A4 sheet with your group Code of Conduct (norms and rules established for the performance of the group);

2. Soft: effective group work

1. Group dynamics The rationale for the growth of (virtual) teams

Demanding factors:

• Complexity of the environment

• (Remote) locations• New colleagues

Enabling factors:

• Internet• Skype/Wimba/MSN• Common language –

English!?



A (Virtual) Team is....

Made up of people working on interdependent tasks; they interact mainly face to face and (sometimes exclusively) through communication technologies to accomplish a common goal without concerns of time and space.


Specific challenges associated to (virtual) teams:

(1) .. cultural/personal differences

(2) .. geographic dispersion

(3) .. communication restrictions

(4) .. time (differences)


Cultural/personal differences..

Consider...

• People are all the same, what changes is their habits/attitudes/behaviour/ personalities

• Look for commonalities/complementarities instead of differences

• It is more important what unites than what separates us i.e. the whole is greater ...


Geographic dispersion..

implies...

• Different social structures (e.g. different relationships with lecturers...)

• Different organisational cultures

• Different priorities

• Implications for meeting

• Time differences

Virtual group dynamics, leadership and network building

Computer-mediated communication..(CMC)

implies...

• Absence of face-to-face interaction

therefore...

• Provide full-cue communication (give continuous feedback)

• Communicate very frequently task contributions


1.1.. Optimizing performance of your virtual team

• Develop trust and liking

Trust: refers to an expectancy held by an individual or a group that the word, promise, or verbal or written statement of another individual or group can be relied upon


1.1.. Optimizing performance of your virtual team (2)

Trust:

• refers to the knowledge that what I can do for you, you will do for me;

• it is a two-way construct: trust implies trustworthiness



• Develop norms, rules and establish routines:

– Task-related rules;– Communication-related rules.


Task-related rules:

# 1. Do not stall

#2. Juggle

#3. Set deadlines

and stick to them

Communication/related rules

# 4. Keep a frequent flow of communication

#5. Promply acknowlege you

read others`messages

#6. Promptly and explicitly

inform what you are

thinking and doing



2.. Leadership in Virtual Teams

To be effective, virtual teams must be:

• Deliberately managed towards sharing and being very aware of common objectives at all times

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH4p9BQ3V9o&feature=related


2.. Leadership refers to..

“.. the influence processes involving determination of the group’s objectives, motivating task behaviour in pursuit of those objectives and influencing group maintenance and culture”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2hVMfFDWE8&feature=related


2.1.. Shared leadership is..

1.“.. a dynamic, interactive influence process among individuals in groups for which the objective is to lead one another to the achievement of group goals”;

2. the concept that best fits the nature of virtual teams such as COEUR CVT (Creative Venture Teams)


2.2.. Why shared leadership?

1.Cross-functionality;

2.Role-switching;

3.Different combinations of unique knowledge;

4.Dynamic exchange of lateral influence among peers.


2.3.. Antecedents of shared leadership

1.Emergent leadership;

2.Participative decision making;

3.Empowerment;

4.Shared cognition in teams;

5.Self-managed teams


2.4.. Exercising shared leadership

1.Any individual within the group may take the initiative to lead the group from one step to another towards the common goal;

2. Take rescue in lower-level processes:– Establish a Code of Conduct with norms and

rules and integrate them into routines


2.5.. Shared leadership requires..

• A strong sense of individual commitment,

that is:

1. A member‘s strong belief in the goals of the group;

2. A strong desire to maintain membership in the group;

3. Willingness to work on behalf of the group.


2.6.. Tips..

– Talk nicely

– Talk tough

– Reflect

– Generate

2.7.. Likely hurdles..

Obstacles

• People do not like the idea (of sharing leadership)

• Perceived status differences

• Preconceived ideas on what leadership is and is not

Facilitators

• Your task requires role differentiation but not status differentiation;

• You must engage in multiple relationship exchanges

• You need everyone to do a good job



3. Building networks

A network refers to a group of people who are connected together by a socially meaningful set of relationships


3.1.. The virtual group network model

Members Links

Purpose


3.2.. Characteristics of networks

– Density

– Tightness

– Diversity

– Accessibility

– Value

3.3.. Strong ties and weak ties:You need both

Strong ties are:

• Frequent• Reciprocal• Companionable• Supportive• Multiple

they get the work done..

Weak ties are:

• Casual• Reciprocal or not,

but:• Are useful for new, ad-

hoc information



3.4.. (Computer Mediated Communication) CMC and social networks (1)

CMC is good for giving and receiving:

– Information, opinions and suggestions

but:

– Not good to show emotions

3.5.. CMC and social networks (2)

– In CMC there is more equality of participation

– Interaction is more convenient

– It may display emotional support and sociability

but:• There are new

coordination problems (e.g. information overload);

• In many aspects online relationships are similar to those off-line: they vary in strength, are specialized and intermittent



Expect to make friends!

[email protected]

coeur - bcm business creativity module “virtual group dynamics, leadership and network building”...

Documents

uponvirtual group dynamics

network building1

scotlandgroup dynamics

network buildinga virtual

group code of conduct

virtual teamdevelop

cue communication

communication technologies