Juha-Matti Arola’s blog

I was joining into the Vermeet Project Initiative Workshop in TKK on January 15, 2008.

Erno Lehtinen, University of Turku

Network management methods in virtual working environment. Networking has been working well at least within this project. Internationalization process, decentralization and outsourcing has been creating virtual organizations and networks.

Within the project the process was to utilize multidisciplinary research and multicompany expertise among TKK and University of Turku. Direct company co-operation and together with consultants was utilized. As well as international aspects utilizing cultural and technical expertise were vital.

Results will be presented in this seminar.

Sirkka Jarvenpaa, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, US

- Using research based on findings at the companies headquartered in the US

- A continuum of: mobility, community, work group and team, often not happening as teams

- Reality of virtual work: alone together?

- A constant change is a default in virtual teams, not knowing them well, so fluid membership, fluid leadership and team processes

- fundamental questions: productivity gains only reached in well-structured and in well-defined job roles, work spilling over the private life?

- how to keep the enthusiastic and motivation up when virtual teams utilized?

- tension #1: stability vs. fluidity - shared norms, shared understanding, clear roles, social identity, trust - like a case when the leader in remote location resigns without notifying the global leader

- tension #2: facilitation vs. design - virtual organization creates “weak structures” that however require a strong management - design aspects: “real team” structure, supported context, role of trust are mandatory: the organization has trust in members, members have trust in organization, member have trust to each other

- fact: limited organizational resources, therefore virtual teams are often self-oriented teams, therefore controlled team leader could jeopardize the team functioning while controlling too much

- tension #3: task focus vs. learning focus, ICT mediation crowds out learning “Know-Why” (Yong and Jarvenpaa 2009) - “Know-what”, “know-how”, “know-why” = contextual reasons and principles underlying the knowledge: embedded in persons, “know-why” is a prequisite for innovations.

- tension #4: hybrid vs. virtual - is prediction correct?, when fully dispersed - least conflict, most common, identity and when two subgroups - most conflict, least common, identity; how to manage this situation - social identification: you, local sub group, your company, your clients, your project team; source: thomsett international

- tension #5: thru tech vs. around tech, working rather than thru tech

- tension #6: distance vs. time zone, time zone more challenging

- future of virtual work:how life get better, while people feel worse (as not knowing the people, not knowing them well etc.)

- transfer of knowledge is minimal, as reinventing the subjects and reuse are normal

VIBU, Virtual Team work for business, Turku School of Business, Timo Lainelma, Eeli Saarinen, Satu Lähteenmäki

- Challenges in building virtual multicultural teams, not existing

- VIBu - training is developed for professionals working in dispersed working environments using RealGame-simulation game. An innovative method for analyzing and developing leadership and teamwork skills in the modern business context i.e. it enables to experience the challenges originating from global, multicultural and virtual aspects, - based on self-experiencing and -reflection

- VIBu - Training principles - using the human interfaces then inbedding the virtuality while using dispersed teams

- VIBu - Process - Orientation, 1st simulation game session, data collection, analysis phase, Training session, 2nd simulation game session “unguided session”, feedback using reflective essays, feedback and analysis.

Marko Hakonen, Vital web-tool

- Dispersed workgroups or virtual teams

- Vital Web Tool (VWT) - research based modular database developed within 5 years with Tekes finance using Humap and TKK expertise http://vitaltool.tkk.fi/ . All the 16 subareas does have got research-specific information, tools and cases

- now new tools: technology-based team meeting assessment tool, team work direction measurement

– in addition links to FIBu and Spindel

Tuire Palonen, University of Turku

Spindel - social networking visualization tool

– how the information goes within the information - the information is very differently going through in various parts

– networking, ad hoc-organizations, projects

– leadership

– organizational changes (although officially changed, then still the old organization is in use)

– communication tools between different actors

– dispersed communication identified and then visualized in 3D form using colors etc.

http://spindel.fi/

 - now this tool would be very beneficial while analyzing the current status of the communication situation which would be very essential and important nowadays in organizations.