Working alone together: Unanticipated virtual teams, best practices - For a pandemic

This research effort presents a systematic review of high-quality, scholarly research applicable to a new type of virtual team, Unanticipated Virtual Teams (UVT), that were triggered by the recent coronavirus pandemic and, as such, have not previously been the focus of scholarly research. These teams were co-located teams that were sent home to telework and social distance while using electronic methods to communicate and continue work. The systematic review—done in alignment with the methods presented D. Denyer and D. Tranfield (2009) (pp.671–689)—extends the research of Chatfield et al., (2014),Caya et al. (2013), and Purvanova and Kenda (2018). This review identifies best practices, as defined through a lens of paradox theory, within the research on ad hoc, hybrid, global, and other types of virtual teams and synthesizes those practices to assist practitioners struggling with UVTs while trying to produce high-quality products and services in a business environment. In addition, research on telecommuting and teleworking was explored for similar best practices. In total, 110 articlespublished in peer-reviewed scholarship since 2013 are synthesized. As a result, 70 best practices are identified and synthesized, mitigating or moderating the challenges of 17 paradoxes for the practitioner. In addition, two methods identify common elements of these best practices that are the foundation for anticipating additional paradoxes or virtual team challenges: First,five decision-makers and two common methods are identified because they mitigate the challenges of all 17 paradoxes.The second offersseven specific meta-practices that similarly mitigate the 17 paradoxes. In addition, this effort presents the first historical comparison of virtual and telework research against the development of information and communication technology (ICT) tools and presents a typology of 13 different types of virtual teams in scholarly literature.Practitioners are offered a wide range of solutions to the challenges facing UVTs. A paradox-focused research agenda is also offered.Running Head: WORKING ALONE TOGETHER: UNANTICIPATED VIRTUAL TEAMS ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: WORKING ALONE TOGETHER: UNANTICIPATED VIRTUAL TEAMS, BEST PRACTICES – FOR A PANDEMIC Francis Douglas, MA, PMP, CSM Doctor of Business Administration, 2021 This research effort presents a systematic review of high-quality, scholarly research applicable to a new type of virtual team, Unanticipated Virtual Teams (UVT), that were triggered by the recent coronavirus pandemic and, as such, have not previously been the focus of scholarly research. These teams were co-located teams that were sent home to telework and social distance while using electronic methods to communicate and continue work. The systematic review—done in alignment with the methods presented D. Denyer and D. Tranfield (2009) (pp. 671–689)—extends the research of Chatfield et al., (2014), Caya et al. (2013), and Purvanova and Kenda (2018). This review identifies best practices, as defined through a lens of paradox theory, within the research on ad hoc, hybrid, global, and other types of virtual teams and synthesizes those practices to assist practitioners struggling with UVTs while trying to produce high-quality products and services in a business environment. In addition, research on telecommuting and teleworking was explored for similar best practices. In total, 110 articles published in peer-reviewed scholarship since 2013 are synthesized. As a result, 70 best practices are identified and synthesized, mitigating or moderating the challenges of 17 paradoxes for the practitioner. In addition, two methods identify common elements of these best practices that are the foundation for anticipating additional paradoxes or virtual team challenges: First, five decision-makers and two common methods are identified because they mitigate the challenges of all 17 paradoxes. The second offers seven specific Working Alone Together: Unanticipated Virtual Teams ii meta-practices that similarly mitigate the 17 paradoxes. In addition, this effort presents the first historical comparison of virtual and telework research against the development of information and communication technology (ICT) tools and presents a typology of 13 different types of virtual teams in scholarly literature. Practitioners are offered a wide range of solutions to the challenges facing UVTs. A paradox-focused research agenda is also offered. Keywords: pandemic, paradox theory, telecommute, telework, virtual team Working Alone Together: Unanticipated Virtual Teams iii WORKING ALONE TOGETHER: UNANTICIPATED VIRTUAL TEAMS, BEST PRACTICES – FOR A PANDEMIC By FRANCIS DOUGLAS, M.A, PMP, CSM Dissertation submitted to the School of Business, University of Maryland Global Campus, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Business Administration 2021 Working Alone Together: Unanticipated Virtual Teams iv © Copyright by Francis Douglas 2021 Working Alone Together: Unanticipated Virtual Teams v Dedication For my family—my wife, parents, and son—who have held me together through many trying times. Also, for my wife’s cats—Jane, named after Jane Austen, and Emma, named after Jane’s book. Without the help of Jane and Emma, I could have finished six months earlier. Emma (below) and Jane (above) attempt to demonstrate the yin-yang symbol, which is important to paradox theory (see Figure 3). Working Alone Together: Unanticipated Virtual Teams vi Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge the efforts of Dr. Wanda Wagner and Dr. Kathleen Edwards, who served as mentor and second reader respectively, as they worked to encourage me without driving me beyond my capabilities and as together, we raced to produce scholarship important today before the day passed to tomorrow. I would also like to acknowledge Cynthia Thomes, a very special librarian and a very special person. Working Alone Together: Unanticipated Virtual Teams vii Table of Contents ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................................... i Dedication .................................................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................................................... vi Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................................... vii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................ x List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................ xii List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................ xiii Chapter 1: Introduction and Overview of the Management Problem ........................................................ 1 Background and Overview ..................................................................................................................... 1 Advantages of Virtual Teams in General .............................................................................................. 3 Challenges of Virtual Teams in General ............................................................................................... 3 Types of Virtual Teams ......................................................................................................................... 4 Unanticipated Virtual Teams Defined ................................................................................................... 5 Problem Statement and Significance of the Problem ........................................................................... 6 Importance/Significance to Management Practitioners ......................................................................... 7 Management Problem in This Topic Area ............................................................................................ 7 Theory and Theories .............................................................................................................................. 8 Problem Statement and Significance of the Problem ........................................................................... 8 Purpose of the Study and the Research Questions ............................................................................... 9 Research Questions ............................................................................................................................... 9 CIMO Evaluation. ................................................................................................................................ 9 The Rationale for the Study .................................................................................................................. 11 Discussion of Concepts and Themes .................................................................................................... 12 Definitions and Terminology ................................................................................................................ 12 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................................................ 12 Organization of the Dissertation .......................................................................................................... 12 Chapter 2: Scoping Literature Review and Theoretical Frame ................................................................ 14 Scoping Literature Review .................................................................................................................... 14 A Historical Perspective of Virtual Team and Telework Research .................................................... 14 A Typology of Virtual Team Types .................................................................................................... 22 A Thematic Perspective of Virtual Team and Telework Challenges .................................................. 28 Virtual Teams Are Different from Face-to-Face Teams. ................................................................ 28 Leadership. ..................................................................................................................................... 28 Team Makeup. ................................................................................................................................ 28 Conflict Management. ..................................................................................................................... 29 Trust Maintenance. .......................................................................................................................... 29 Trust Development/Swift Trust. ...................................................................................................... 29 Social Loafing. ................................................................................................................................ 30 Tools. .............................................................................................................................................. 30 Systems and Processes. ................................................................................................................... 30 Working Alone Together: Unanticipated Virtual Teams viii Health/Stress/Work-Life Balance. ................................................................................................... 31 Theoretical Framework ......................................................................................................................... 32 Paradox Theory .................................................................................................................................. 32 Paradox Theory, a Historical Perspective. ....................................................................................... 32 Paradox Theory and Business Management. ................................................................................... 33 Paradox Theory and Virtual Teams. ................................................................................................ 34 Methods to Address Paradoxes. ....................................................................................................... 35 Conceptual Framework ........................................................................................................................ 36 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................................................ 39 Chapter 3: Method ..................................................................................................................................... 41 Review Design and Methodology ......................................................................................................... 42 The Evidence-Based Research Framework ......................................................................................... 42 Systematic Reviews ............................................................................................................................. 43 Step 1: Question Formulation .............................................................................................................. 45 Defining the Problem and Its Significance .......................................................................................... 45 Research Questions and Methodology for Identifying the Questions ................................................. 47 Step 2: Locating Studies ........................................................................................................................ 49 Search Strategy ................................................................................................................................... 50 Screening Methodology ....................................................................................................................... 51 Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria ......................................................................................................... 52 Step 3: Quality Appraisal and Study Selection ................................................................................... 53 Step 4: Analysis and Synthesis ............................................................................................................. 55 Step 5: Reporting and Using Results ................................................................................................... 56 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................................................ 56 Chapter 4: Analysis and Findings ............................................................................................................. 57 Results for Step 1: Review of the Research Question ......................................................................... 58 Results for Step 2: Identify Relevant Research .................................................................................. 58 Search Process and Terms ................................................................................................................... 58 First Pass Using Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria .............................................................................. 61 Second Pass with Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria ............................................................................ 62 Results for Step 3: Quality Appraisal and Study Selection ............................................................... 63 First Pass of the Quality Appraisal ...................................................................................................... 63 Second Pass of Quality Appraisal ....................................................................................................... 64 Description of the Data Set ................................................................................................................... 65 Results for Step 4: Analysis and Synthesis .......................................................................................... 67 Findings and Discussion for Research Question 1 .............................................................................. 68 Meta-Theme 1: Leadership/Management. ....................................................................................... 69 Paradox 1: My leadership style works when co-located; we are not co-located. ........................ 69 Paradox 2: I must lead the team; the team cannot see me. .......................................................... 72 Paradox 3: Management must conduct oversight; management sees little. ................................ 74 Meta-Theme 2: Health and Satisfaction. ......................................................................................... 77 Paradox 4: Virtuality lets us be healthy; virtuality harms our health. ......................................... 77 Paradox 5: Virtuality allows a flexible schedule; virtuality results in longer days. .................... 79 Working Alone Together: Unanticipated Virtual Teams ix Paradox 6: I feel satisfaction working virtually; I’m unhappy and lonely. ................................. 80 Paradox 7: Technology enables working from home; technology adds to my stress. ................. 81 Paradox 8: Technology provides data richness; technology leads to data overload. .................. 83 Meta-Theme 3: Team Makeup and Practices. ................................................................................. 84 Paradox 9: Family first at home; work first at home. .................................................................. 84 Paradox 10: We are geographically close; we cannot meet. ....................................................... 86 Paradox 11: I have fewer work-related distractions; I have fewer interactions. ......................... 87 Paradox 12: I’m part of a trusting, sharing, cohesive team; I work alone. .................................. 88 Meta-Theme 4: Organizational Support. ......................................................................................... 90 Paradox 13: I’m part of a large, supportive organization; I never see that organization. ............ 90 Meta-Theme 5: Technology. ........................................................................................................... 92 Paradox 14: Technology is the solution; technology often is the problem. ................................ 92 Paradox 15: Virtual teams need greater communication; virtuality hinders communication. .... 94 Paradox 16: I work on a computer all day; I am not good with electronics. ............................... 95 Meta-Theme 6: Systems/Processes/Policies. ................................................................................... 96 Paradox 17: Virtuality gives greater flexibility; virtuality demands greater team structure. ...... 97 Findings and Discussion for Research Question 2 ............................................................................ 100 Summary of Findings .......................................................................................................................... 106 Results for Step 5: Reporting and Using Results .............................................................................. 106 Revised Conceptual Model/Framework ............................................................................................ 107 Chapter Summary ............................................................................................................................... 110 Chapter 5: Conclusions and Implications ............................................................................................... 111 Review of the Research ....................................................................................................................... 111 Answers to the Research Questions ................................................................................................... 114 Management Implications (Recommendations) ............................................................................... 117 Result 1 from Chapter 4 .................................................................................................................... 117 Result 2 from Chapter 4 .................................................................................................................... 118 Result 3 from Chapter 4 .................................................................................................................... 118 Result 4 from Chapter 4 .................................................................................................................... 119 Limitations of the Study and Areas for Future Research ................................................................ 119 Limitations of the Study .................................................................................................................... 119 Areas for Future Research ................................................................................................................. 121 Final Summary and Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 123 References ........