Lecture 3 Flashcards
What is the definition of virtual teams?
- Small groups working together…
- … on a common task…
- … (partially) mediated by communication technologies.
What are the characteristics of virtual teams?
- Not constrained to physical location
- Not constrained to specific time (asynchronous)
- Team members work on task separately
- Varying composition (different project teams, organizations)
- Always: Mediated by technology!
What are the pros of virtual teams?
- Independence of time space
- Flexibility to work & participate
- Flexible setup: diversity, experts
- Access to knowledge
- Cheaper
- People may be more honest & creative
- Technology functions:
1. Information processing
2. Process structuring
3. Communication support
What are the cons of virtual teams?
- Difficult to establish presence & trust
- Difficult to manage social process
- Social loafing / non-participation
- Communication & coordination issues
- Inefficiency
- Leadership issues
- Subgroups / imbalance
- Difficult to create shared understanding / common ground
Which CMC affordances are tied to the pro’s/cons of virtual teams?
- Presence
- Reduced cues
- Controllability / chronemics
- Communication
Which social media affordances are tied to the pro’s/cons of virtual teams?
- Visibility
- Associations
- Persistence
- Editability
(VAPE)
What are the functions of technology in virtual teams?
- Process structuring
- Information processing
- Communication support
(PIC)
Explain what the function ‘information processing’ is:
- aggregate, structure and evaluate info
- Conveyance of task-related information
- E.g., shared documents, (meeting) notes,decision support systems
Explain what the function ‘process structuring’ is:
- process of collaboration
- Coordination of group process
- E.g., agenda setting, task coordination
Explain what the function ‘communication support’ is:
- group communication
- E.g., chat, discussion boards, email
Which Functions of VT technology are tied to which affordances of social media and CMC?
- Information processing & Process structuring -> tied to -> social media affordances
- Communication support -> tied to -> CMC affordances
What is a shared mental model?
A shared understanding in team to collaborate
What is the goal of “shared understanding or awareness”
Reaching a common understanding of the task and each other’s viewpoints
Through which processes is shared understanding reached/influenced?
- Understanding of the task through conveyance processes
- Understanding of each other’s viewpoints through convergence processes
What do we mean with “Understanding of the task through conveyance processes”?
Transmission of info
- Information processing
- Process structuring
What is ICT?
Information & Communication Technologie
ICTs should be used depending on what?
The (awareness) challenges teams face
What do we mean with “Understanding of each other’s viewpoints through convergence processes”?
Mutually agreeing on meaning of info
- Communication support
What is ‘Task-knowledge awareness’?
- Up to the minute knowledge…
- …of who is doing what…
- …to facilitate performance of the team’s task…
- …… that affect each member’s work.
What is ‘Presence awareness’?
- Up to the minute knowledge…
- …of which members are where and when…
- … as relevant for the task
& - Subjective feeling…
- …that other individuals are physically available & accessible.
Chronological awareness
Understanding of the evolution of team members’ work
What is ‘task non-routines’?
extent to which the process, problem or desired solution is novel for the team
What is ‘knowledge boundaries’?
(=diverse team)
- Differences in reasoning and perspectives…
- …that need to be integrated across diverse team members…
- …for the team to perform well.
Non-routine tasks + ……. = Performance
ICT supporting task-knowledge awareness
Diverse team: Crossing knowledge boundaries + ……. = Performance
ICT supporting presence awareness
Explain the ICT supporting task-knowledge awareness scale:
Technology enables us to…
- Contribute knowledge to team
- Keep track of changes
- Link & compare knowledge
Explain the ICT supporting presence awareness scale:
Technology enables us to…
- Feel present with others
- Engage in synchronous interaction
- Engage in spontaneous communication
Difficult task/teams + ….. = performance
Shared understanding
Which variables influence Task-technology fit?
- task characteristics
- Technology characteristics
Explain the media richness theory:
Low tas complexity = low media richness
high task complexity = high media richness
(dont overcomplicate or oversimpflicate)
Which tendency in virtual teams is enhanced (O’Neill et al., 2016)?
Groups tend to talk about information that they already share and withhold unique information
Why are people possibly not willing to share information in virtual teams?
Possibly due to less medium richness and synchronicity
What is Zoom fatigue?
Zoom fatigue is tiredness, worry, or burnout associated with the overuse of online platforms of communication, particularly videotelephony.
What are the causes of Zoom fatique
1) Excessive amounts of close-up eye contact is highly intense.
2) Seeing yourself during video chats constantly in real-time is fatiguing.
3) Video chats dramatically reduce our usual mobility.
4) The cognitive load is much higher in video chats.
What did the study by Brucks and Levav (2022) find about cognitive overload?
Virtual videoconferencing leads to narrow cognitive focus which reduces creative idea generation
