Are all distributed teams the same? Differentiating between temporary and ongoing distributed teams
Abbreviated Journal Title
Small Group Res.
Keywords
virtual teams; short- and long-term outcomes; computer-mediated; communication; collaboration; GLOBAL VIRTUAL TEAMS; FACE-TO-FACE; COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION; MEMBER FAMILIARITY; GROUP-PERFORMANCE; WORK TEAMS; TIME; TECHNOLOGY; CONFLICT; TRUST; Psychology, Applied; Management; Psychology, Social
Abstract
Distributed teams, sometimes called virtual teams, are becoming increasingly prevalent as businesses bring geographically dispersed members together to achieve a common goal. A framework for understanding geographically distributed teams based on their time span is yet to be developed. The authors believe that theory building in this area has centered on temporary teams and propose that many distributed teams have ongoing and recurring tasks. Using attention focus and the shadow of the future models, this article presents a framework for understanding the differences between temporary and ongoing distributed teams' structure, processes, and outcomes, suggesting that ongoing distributed teams must tackle more process and structural issues than temporary teams and that findings of virtual teams research thus far may not always apply here. The model also implies that ongoing distributed teams are more difficult to manage and experience greater variance in well-being outcome levels, whereas in temporary teams, members are more focused on task-related (production) outcomes.
Journal Title
Small Group Research
Volume
37
Issue/Number
6
Publication Date
1-1-2006
Document Type
Article; Proceedings Paper
Language
English
First Page
662
Last Page
700
WOS Identifier
ISSN
1046-4964
Recommended Citation
"Are all distributed teams the same? Differentiating between temporary and ongoing distributed teams" (2006). Faculty Bibliography 2000s. 6547.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/facultybib2000/6547
Comments
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