ENHANCING STUDENT COLLABORATION IN GLOBAL VIRTUAL TEAMSLaurel Powell

GLOBAL VIRTUAL TEAMS

• Virtual Collaboration and Teamwork

• Collaboration Benefits, Social Competence, Psychological Health

• Used by: Cisco Systems, IBM, Intel, Shell Oil Company, Toshiba, Siemens, Microsoft Corporations, Accenture, Alcoa

DEFINITION

• Global Virtual Teams• Temporary• Electronically Mediated• Culturally Diverse• Geographically Distributed

SUCCESS FACTORS

• Clear Purpose

• Measureable Goals

• Appropriate Team Size (3-5 People)

• Team Norms or Operating Guidelines

• Effective Communication

• Decision Making Skills and Processes

• Strong Leadership (Particularly Difficult in Virtual Teams)

• Pedagogical, Technological and Cultural Issues

ADVANTAGES OF GVTS

• Exposure to Variety of Ideas, Perspectives and Problem Solving Approaches

• Creativity

• Cognitive and Social Development

• Improved Skills in Developing Arguments

MANAGEMENT OF GVTS

• Positive Interdependence• Perception that a team member cannot succeed without team success

• Promotive Interaction• Acknowledging and Challenging Ideas

• Individual Accountability• Objective Assessment of Performance

• Appropriate Use of Social Skills• Trust, Clear Communication

• Group Processing• Monitoring Work to Facilitate Social Interaction and Quality Work

COMPOSITION OF THE TEAM

• Larger Groups are Less Productive (3-5 Members per Team)

• Team Experts

• Diversity of Talents and Experiences

• Self Selected Teams v. Instructor Selected Teams

• Individualistic v. Collectivistic Cultures

• Task Specialization

MANAGEMENT

• Cohesiveness

• Communication Media• Computer Literacy• “Richness” of Media• Asynchronous v. Synchronous Communications

• Trust Among Team Members

MANAGEMENT

• Problem Solving and Decision Making• Different Tools for Different Parts of the Problem Solving Process

• Content and Format of GVT Deliverables

• Instructor Involvement

• Team Discussions• Highlight Common Ground• Mediate Conflicts• Engage Participants

EVALUATION

• Challenge for Instructors

• Evaluation Process

• Peer Rating

• Self Evaluation

DISCUSSION?

GARY F KOHUTTHE JOURNAL OF EFFECTIVE TEACHING, VOL. 12,NO. 3, 2012, 44-60