Emergent states in virtual teams: a complex adaptive systems perspective
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Research article
Emergent states in virtual teams: a complex adaptive systems perspective Petru Lucian Curs¸eu Department of Organisation Studies, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands Correspondence: PL Curs¸eu, Department of Organisation Studies, Tilburg University, Warandelaan 2, P.O. Box 90153, 5000 LE Tilburg, The Netherlands. Tel: þ 31 13-4662153; Fax: þ 31 13-4663002; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract Research on virtual teams (VTs) has proliferated in the last decades. However, few clear and consistent theoretical attempts to integrate the literature on VTs in a systemic way have emerged. This paper uses the complex adaptive systems (CAS) perspective to integrate the literature on emergent states in VTs. According to this general framework, VT effectiveness depends on the interaction between three levels of dynamics: local, global and contextual. Team cognition, trust, cohesion and conflict are described as states that emerge from the interactions among the VT members and as parts of global dynamics, they impact on VT effectiveness, and in the same time they are influenced by the outcomes of the VT. The insights on this bidirectional causality as well as other benefits of using the CAS framework to improve our understanding of VTs are discussed in the paper. It also provides an overview of artificial simulation models as well as simulation results concerning the emergence of the four states described in the CAS framework and discusses several ways to improve the accuracy of the simulation models using empirical data collected in real VTs. Journal of Information Technology (2006) 21, 249–261. doi:10.1057/palgrave.jit.2000077 Keywords: virtual teams; team cognition; cohesion; trust; complex adaptive systems
Introduction wing to the competitive pressures and globalization of the marketplace, contemporary organizations are forced to find more flexible and versatile structures in order to adapt and be (stay) competitive (Finnegan and O’Mahony, 1996; Townsend et al., 1998). Virtual ways of organizing (Schultze and Orlikowski, 2001) and in particular virtual teams (VTs) (Breu and Hemingway, 2004) are among the best means to achieve this flexibility and versatility, first, because they allow the coordination of work across geographical and time zones, and second, because they are strongly supported by the innovative communication solutions offered by the fast technological development (Lipnack and Stamps, 1997; Montoya-Weiss et al., 2001; Kirkman et al., 2004; Hertel et al., 2005). The use of information technology (IT) in contemporary organizations is traditionally considered a strategic advantage (Powell and Dent-Mitcallef, 1997; Corea, 2006), an enabler for knowledge sharing (Huysman and Wulf, 2005) and innovation (Jeyaraj et al., 2006). However, the literature on VTs acknowledges both positive and negative influences of IT on team dynamics and effectiveness (Jarvenpaa and
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