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Regular version of the site
Master 2021/2022

Effective Management of Virtual Teams

Type: Compulsory course (System and Software Engineering)
Area of studies: Software Engineering
When: 2 year, 1, 2 module
Mode of studies: offline
Open to: students of one campus
Instructors: Natalia Maikevich
Master’s programme: Software and Systems Engineering
Language: English
ECTS credits: 5
Contact hours: 40

Course Syllabus

Abstract

The global markets, changes in the companies’ organizational structure, communication and collaboration technologies are the most important factors in fundamentally transformation of the ways in which teams operate. Virtual teams became as common as face-to-face teams. Course is designed to in-depth understanding of practices and issues of virtual teams effective management and leading. During the course students get hands-on experience with virtual teams building and mastering. Topics include techniques for developing trust, shared understanding, performance evaluation, training, technology evaluation, and managing across cultures. The course is offered to students of the Master Program "System and Software Engineering" (area code 09.04.04) in the School of Software Engineering, Faculty of Computer Science (FCS) of the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE). The number of contact (class) hours equals 40 (18 hours of lectures and 22 hours of practice). On top of that, 188 hours are set aside for self-studying. The number of course' credits (ECTS) is 6.
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

  • Manage across organization and national cultures.
  • Master theories and strategies of high performance in virtual team
  • Manage trust building and team identity creating.
  • Manage effective communication and collabortion in virtual teams,
Expected Learning Outcomes

Expected Learning Outcomes

  • Applies technics and approaches to information/knowledge sharing.
  • Assesses of team members’ individual contribution to virtual team project.
  • Defines virtual team. Describes their advantages and disadvantages for organization and team members.
  • Demonstrates communication channels selection that relevant to the tasks and can organize informal communication to support and improve the collaboration of the virtual team
  • Describes approaches for motivation of virtual team members.
  • Describes approaches to building trust in virtual team.
  • Describes approaches, such as transformational leadership to leading and coaching of virtual team’ members on performance.
  • Describes common types and causes of conflict that arise within virtual teams.
  • Describes critical success factors for communication and collaboration of virtual team
  • Describes different level of the trust: calculus-based, knowledge-based, identification-based.
  • Describes how organizational and national culture influences how people think and act on the job.
  • Describes how technology trends impact on work and management style
  • Describes how to assess the cohesion, trust, performance, motivation of virtual team.
  • Describes how to manage and coordinate virtual team’ members performance by focusing on results
  • Describes main challenges of the virtual teams
  • Describes main features of Russian, European, American, Arabic, Asia and China cultures.
  • Describes main styles of communication. Analyzes differencies in own communication style with ones of team members.
  • Describes patterns of national behavior. Analyzes differences of own culture with culture of team members.
  • Describes person' culture composed from explicits and implicits ones.
  • Describes role of the virtual teams for organizations.
  • Describes team dynamics and behaviors.
  • Describes technics to establish a supportive culture that values teamwork, communication and learning,
  • Describes the critical success factors of the virtual team.
  • Describes the leadership and management competencies needed to manage people from a distance.
  • Describes the stages of the team life sycle and team manager duties for each stage.
  • Describes what competencies and skills virtual team members should have.
  • Develops a meeting agenda, ground rules, communication plan for virtual team
  • Explores similarities and differences between face-to-face and virtual teams
  • Identifies and explains the basics of organizational and national culture.
  • Learns and demonstrate technics of different communications styles management
  • Learns and demonstrates approaches to building collaborative environment in virtual team.
  • Learns and demonstrates management of cross-cultural communications.
  • Learns and demonstrates recognition of main cultural values ​​through human behavior.
  • Learns and demonstrates strategies to conflicts prevention.
  • Learns and demonstrates technics of own team' culture building,
  • Proves own knowledge and practice skills
  • Provides assessment of an effectiveness of virtual team
  • Recognizes current trends in the global business environment and identifies how these trends can generate competitive advantages
Course Contents

Course Contents

  • Technology and globalization impact on society and enterprises. Future perspectives discussion. Selection of teams and assignment of project topics.
  • Understanding Virtual Teams. Case study.
  • Team life cycle. Managing conflicts virtually. Case study.
  • Managing across cultures. Patterns of national behavior. Communication styles, preferences and models. Case study.
  • Culture diversity. Case study.
  • Mastering virtual teams. Communication and collaboration. Technics for virtual team assessment. Case study.
  • Leading virtual team. Discuss leadership characteristics and skills , assess personal competencies. Case study.
  • Building effective virtual team, establishing trust.
  • Best practice of virtual team management.
  • Practice-oriented solution of the business case in real time by students' virtual teams. Virtual teams presentations and discussion
Assessment Elements

Assessment Elements

  • non-blocking Homework 1
    All course assignments are expected to be submitted by the assignment deadline. Any extenuating circumstances that prevent a student from submitting an assignment on time need to be discussed with the instructor. Upon instructor approval, late assignments will be accepted with 10% late penalty.
  • non-blocking Homework 2
  • non-blocking Homework 3
  • non-blocking Homework 4
  • non-blocking Homework 5
  • non-blocking Homework 6
  • non-blocking Mid-term test
    Mid-term test consist of 3 parts: multiple choice test, open questions, small case.
  • non-blocking Class discussions and case studies
    You are expected to participate in class discussions. participation in 2 discussions at least for 4 -5 grades.
Interim Assessment

Interim Assessment

  • 2021/2022 2nd module
    0.05 * Homework 3 + 0.1 * Homework 5 + 0.3 * Class discussions and case studies + 0.05 * Homework 4 + 0.05 * Homework 1 + 0.05 * Homework 2 + 0.3 * Mid-term test + 0.1 * Homework 6
Bibliography

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

  • Al Zain Nora-Labiba, Vasilache Simona, & Incze Cynthia Bianka. (2018). The significance and managerial challenges of virtual teamworking. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.E3514671
  • Anita Juliana De Bruyn. (2017). Exploring high-performance work processes in effective virtual teams. African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, (4), 398. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJEMS-06-2016-0070?utm_campaign=RePEc&WT.mc_id=RePEc
  • Distances in Geographically Distributed Team: A Review. (2019). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2605734
  • Dumitraşcu-Băldău Iulia, & Dumitraşcu Dănuţ Dumitru. (2019). Intercultural Communication and its Challenges Within the International Virtual Project Team. MATEC Web of Conferences, 07005. https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201929007005
  • Ford, R. C., Piccolo, R. F., & Ford, L. R. (2017). Strategies for building effective virtual teams: Trust is key. Business Horizons, (1), 25. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.a.eee.bushor.v60y2017i1p25.34
  • Friedrich, R. (2017). The Virtual Team Maturity Model : Performance Improvement of Virtual Teams. Wiesbaden, Germany: Springer. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1622285
  • Gurau Calin, & Marais Magalie. (2016). Measuring virtual team performance: Managerial challenges and procedures. Post-Print. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.p.hal.journl.hal.02118561
  • Harvard Business Review Press. (2016). HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Managing Across Cultures (with Featured Article “Cultural Intelligence” by P. Christopher Earley and Elaine Mosakowski). Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business Review Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1798653
  • Ina Krause. (2019). Coworking Spaces: Windows to the Future of Work? Changes in the Organizational Model of Work and the Attitudes of the Younger Generation. Foresight and STI Governance (Foresight-Russia till No. 3/2015), (2), 52. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.a.hig.fsight.v13y2019i2p52.60
  • Jimenez, A., Boehe, D. M., Taras, V., & Caprar, D. V. (2017). Working Across Boundaries: Current and Future Perspectives on Global Virtual Teams. Journal of International Management, (4), 341. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.a.eee.intman.v23y2017i4p341.349
  • Kirstin Manges. (2017). Maximizing team performance: Case study using the Tuckman Model of Group Development to examine the critical role of the nurse leader. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.A75CD034
  • Krawczyk-Bryłka Beata. (2016). Intercultural Challenges in Virtual Teams. Journal of Intercultural Management, (3), 69. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.a.vrs.joinma.v8y2016i3p69.85n4
  • Kurtzberg, T. R. (2014). Virtual Teams: Mastering Communication and Collaboration in the Digital Age. Santa Barbara: Praeger. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=779528
  • Mudasir Khan. (2018). Virtual Team Management Challenges Mitigation Model: A Systematic Literature Review Protocol. University of Sindh Journal of Information and Communication Technology, (2), 88. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsdoj&AN=edsdoj.8c4a3be47e48462cad6ba3b24117fdad
  • Nordbäck, E. S., & Espinosa, J. A. (2019). Effective Coordination of Shared Leadership in Global Virtual Teams. Journal of Management Information Systems, 36(1), 321–350. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.2018.1558943
  • Paul, S., He, F., & Dennis, A. R. (2018). Group Atmosphere, Shared Understanding, and Team Conflict in Short Duration Virtual Teams. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.ABF82FD0
  • Senge, P. M. (2015). The dance of change. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.7AD6764B
  • Stephens, F. L., II. (2016). Enhancing Virtual Team Dynamics. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.880D3A03
  • Wildman, J. L., & Griffith, R. L. (2015). Leading Global Teams : Translating Multidisciplinary Science to Practice. New York: Springer. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=898788

Recommended Additional Bibliography

  • Ale Ebrahim, N., Ahmed, S., & Taha, Z. (2011). Virtual Teams and Management Challenges. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.D19D918B
  • Anderson, G. (2019). Mastering Collaboration : Make Working Together Less Painful and More Productive (Vol. First edition). Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly Media. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=2040637
  • DERVEN, M. (2016). Diversity & Inclusion ARE ESSENTIAL TO A global virtual team’s SUCCESS. TD: Talent Development, 70(7), 54. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=f5h&AN=116680119
  • Enterprise Innovation editors. (2018). 7 trends driving global enterprise transformation in 2019. Enterprise Innovation, N.PAG. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=bsu&AN=133526217
  • Enterprise Innovation editors. (2018). Gartner: top 10 strategic technology trends for 2019. Enterprise Innovation, N.PAG. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=bsu&AN=132755246
  • Global Virtual Team Communication : An exploratory study on what challenges teams face in a virtual setting. (2018). Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.96FC51B8
  • GUEGAN, jerome, SEGONDS, frederic, BARRE, J., MARANZANA, N., MANTELET, F., & BUISINE, stephanie. (2017). Social identity cues to improve creativity and identification in face-to-face and virtual groups. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.D913190A
  • Hadjiev, K. (2018). Managing high performance virtual teams. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsnbu&AN=edsnbu.3867
  • Harvard Business Review Press. (2016). Leading Virtual Teams (HBR 20-Minute Manager Series) (Vol. [Academic Subscription]). Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business Review Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1798548
  • Johns, T., & Gratton, L. (2013). The Third Wave Of Virtual Work. Harvard Business Review, 91(1/2), 66–73. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=bsu&AN=84424065
  • Lee, M. R. (2014). Leading Virtual Project Teams : Adapting Leadership Theories and Communications Techniques to 21st Century Organizations. Boca Raton: Auerbach Publications. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=611888
  • Moe, N. B., & Šmite, D. (2008). Understanding a lack of trust in Global Software Teams: a multiple-case study. Software Process: Improvement & Practice, 13(3), 217–231. https://doi.org/10.1002/spip.378
  • Nemiro, J. E. (2008). The Handbook of High Performance Virtual Teams : A Toolkit for Collaborating Across Boundaries. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=225447
  • O’Connor, R. V., & Basri, S. (2012). The effect of team dynamics on software development process improvement. https://doi.org/10.4018/jhcitp.2012070102
  • Pan, Y., & Steed, A. (2017). The impact of self-avatars on trust and collaboration in shared virtual environments. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.85A6DE3F
  • Robert, J. L. P., & You, S. (2018). Are you satisfied yet? Shared leadership, individual trust, autonomy, and satisfaction in virtual teams. Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, 69(4), 503–513. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.23983
  • Said Abdullah Al Saifi. (2016). The Impact Of Motivation, Trust, And National Cultural Differences On Knowledge Sharing Within The Context Of Electronic Mail. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1125679
  • Schneider, S. C., Barsoux, J.-L., & Stahl, G. K. (2014). Managing Across Cultures 3rd Edn (Vol. Third edition). Harlow: Pearson. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1418688
  • Steers, R. M., Nardon, L., & Sánchez-Runde, C. (2012). Management Across Cultures : Developing Global Competencies (Vol. 2nd ed). Cambridge: Cambridge eText. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=527895
  • Stocker, F., Abib, G., Fürbringer, G. V., & Lourenço, M. L. (2017). Virtual teams and multiculturality: differences and impacts of organizational culture in an I.T. company. https://doi.org/10.7213/rebrae.v11i1.23371.g22515
  • Zomorrodian, A. (2017). New Trends on Strategic Planning: Virtual Environment, Tech Innovation, Globalization & Organizational Performance. Proceedings of the American Society of Business & Behavioral Sciences, 24, 547–566. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=bsu&AN=124308130