C Ghiringhelli

Perceived Training Needs for Effective Virtual Teams: An Exploratory Study

The aim of this exploratory study was to identify the training needs of virtual team members and consequently the role of the HR function in supporting them. We investigated three main aspects: the needs, challenges and benefits associated with the early stages of virtual team membership; the factors likely to influence the effectiveness of virtual teams, with a specific focus on training requirements; the role of the HR function in helping virtual teams to develop the knowledge and skills they require to be effective. Specifically, our research questions were: What are the perceived needs, challenges and benefits experienced in the early stages of virtual collaboration? What training needs are perceived by virtual team members? How can the HR function contribute to making virtual teams more effective? We adopted a qualitative approach based on a model developed by Bal and Gundry, conducting interviews with five members of virtual teams at Nielsen TAM Italy. We present the results and suggest directions for future research.

Developing Social Leadership: Cultural and Technological Influences

The development of social leadership is triggered by the adoption of social media for internal purposes by organizations. It involves dynamics of collaborative and mutual influence between leaders and followers, and among followers themselves, mediated by social media. The aim of this paper is to analyze individual attitudes to social leadership as a function of cultural and technological factors. Using data collected from a sample (N = 178) of employees, we developed and adapted multiple item scales from a wide range of sources in the literature to assess organizational culture, information technology and social media adoption, in addition to other individual and organizational variables. Regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between these variables. What emerged was a three-dimensional model of social leadership as a positive attitude towards: shared responsibility, social media usage and direction. In particular, organizational culture strongly influenced two of these three dimensions, while the use of social media for personal purposes predicted attitudes to the use of social media in organizations.

Automation as Management of Paradoxical Tensions: The Role of Industrial Engineering

In this paper, we explored the introduction of an automated parcel sorting system in a major company in the logistic and parcel delivery industry. Adopting a Grounded Theory approach, we carried out a study that highlighted profound and unexpected organizational implications and management challenges connected to the introduction of the new technology. Our analysis revealed the key role of the Industrial Engineering function as a change agent in devising and managing the introduction of the automated system. In particular, Industrial Engineering actually managed the organizational change by determining the right balance between several opposite dimensions (manual vs. automated; planned vs. emergent; local vs. global). Handling these tensions with a holistic approach may constitute a crucial factor for the change program effectiveness. Contrasting our findings with extant literature, we found resonance with latest works on ambidexterity, interpreted as a firm’s ability to manage tensions. The resulting outcome is a substantive grounded theory of ambidexterity in an automation enhancement program.

Blended learning for developing effective virtual teams: a proposed intervention format

The aim of this exploratory study was to develop a blended learning approach to fostering the skills and competencies required by leaders and members of international virtual teams. Three levels of analysis were brought to bear in designing the proposed intervention format: first, the factors likely to influence the effectiveness of a virtual team; second, the needs and challenges related to the early stages of the virtual team membership; third, the role of the human resource function in promoting – via training and development programmes – the knowledge and skills needed for virtual teams to be successful. The research questions included: What are the perceived benefits and challenges associated with the early stages of virtual collaboration? What factors must be carefully defined and managed when running a virtual team? What training needs are perceived by inexperienced virtual team members? How can training and development initiatives contribute to the effectiveness of virtual teams? A qualitative approach based on the model developed by Bal & Gundry was used to analyse data from five interviews with virtual team members at Nielsen TAM Italy. The outcomes informed the proposed blended training programme.