Catherine Durnell Cramton

SUBGROUP DYNAMICS IN INTERNATIONALLY DISTRIBUTED TEAMS: ETHNOCENTRISM OR CROSS-NATIONAL LEARNING?

Abstract Internationally distributed teams are an ideal context in which to understand the formation, dynamics, and effects of subgroups within work teams. Although the members are interdependent, these teams frequently are composed of two or more collocated subgroups. Researchers have observed a tendency for tensions in such teams to coalesce – and escalate – between these subgroups. In this paper, we identify factors likely to promote and mitigate fracturing between subgroups and consider the impact of subgroup formation on task effectiveness. We build on Lau and Murnighan’s (1998) conceptualization of “faultlines,” which suggests that alignment of team members’ demographic attributes increases the likelihood of subgroup dynamics. We extend this work into the domain of internationally distributed teams by showing how differences in location also can heighten subgroup dynamics. The most likely consequence is ethnocentrism, although we show that intergroup learning also is possible. Our analysis highlights conditions under which teams that encounter subgroup differences will be able to overcome the tendency toward ethnocentrism. Teams with an attitude of mutual positive distinctiveness, we argue, will more likely learn from subgroup differences, becoming more sophisticated in their understanding of cross-national relationships and competent in their management of them.

Is Rugged Individualism the Whole Story? Public and Private Accounts of a Firm's Founding

This article compares public and private accounts of the creation of a retail sales business. The two sets of accounts are examined from the perspectives of literature on entrepreneurial activity and literature on family systems theory. The two theoretical perspectives explain the salience of different facts regarding the founding of the business. The article also questions the legitimacy of privileging certain types of accounts of business foundings over other types.

Situation Invisibility and Attribution in Distributed Collaborations

This article expands theoretical and empirical understanding of interpersonal relationships under distributed conditions by highlighting the importance and consequences of situation invisibility. In a laboratory study, the authors demonstrate that distributed teammates are significantly more likely than collocated teammates to make internal dispositional attributions rather than situational attributions concerning negative partner behavior because of situation invisibility. These dispositional attributions in turn affect relational outcomes such as satisfaction and cohesion. The authors also demonstrate the impact of situational explanation as an antidote to situation invisibility.

An Embedded Model of Cultural Adaptation in Global Teams

This research examines the process through which globally distributed work teams attempt to adapt to cross-cultural differences while being constrained by the local contexts in which they are embedded. We conducted an in-depth field study of nine software development teams that included 132 ethnographic initial interviews, periods of team observation, 19 follow-up interviews, and team meetings. Inductive analysis of the data led us to develop an embedded model of cultural adaptation in global teams to describe the process we observed as teams attempted to cope with important differences in interpersonal communication styles, preferred approaches to organizational control and authority relations, and work-related knowledge and problem-solving approaches. We show how local embeddedness and interdependence across sites together drive cultural adaptation dialectics as actors attempt to resolve rippling tensions within and across nested social structures. The model of cultural adaptation that we developed as an outcome of our research challenges literature that assumes adaptation can be contained within a team and is distinctive in incorporating a dynamic systems view of culture. We build on and develop theory concerning multilevel structuration dynamics. Our work may have implications for other types of boundary-spanning collaborations such as strategic alliances and multinational corporations.

Situated Coworker Familiarity: How Site Visits Transform Relationships Among Distributed Workers

Previous research describes significant benefits from coworker familiarity but has largely assumed proximity and that familiarity accrues simply with the passage of time. Based on a qualitative study of 164 workers on globally distributed teams, we propose that relationships transform as a result of situated coworker familiarity established when people are collocated in a shared space for an extended period of time. Site visits play a pivotal role in enabling coworkers to become more familiar with one another’s communication and work styles, capabilities and interests, personalities, work and social roles, and the cultural context in which they are embedded, thus transforming their relationships. After returning home, situated familiarity fosters behaviors reflecting closer ties, which then reinforce those bonds, suggesting that the situated nature of site visits transforms work relationships between distant coworkers in enduring ways. We contribute grounded theory about how situated coworker familiarity comes about and how coworker relationships transform as a result, particularly when workers spend most of their time apart.

The Meeting Genre Across Cultures Insights From Three German–American Collaborations

The current study examines cross-cultural differences in norms for meetings. Following Eisenhardt, we used a broad set of conceptual dimensions for analyzing meetings as a genre of organizational communication (Yates & Orlikowski) to guide a within- and cross-case analysis of meetings in two cultures. Our goal was to discover the possible existence of patterns and interpretations within cultures, and contrasts and explanations across cultures. Data from three different data sets were analyzed encompassing a total of 10 teams each with German and U.S. American subgroups. Findings show that Germans and U.S. Americans have different expectations and practices concerning the purpose, content, structure, and timing of meetings, and the roles of participants. The underlying meaning of these differences is explored. Theoretical and practical contributions of the work are discussed.

In the Flow, Being Heard, and Having Opportunities: Sources of Power and Power Dynamics in Global Teams

In our qualitative study of 9 globally distributed software development teams, we found that power and how it was distributed across locations had a significant effect on team dynamics. We describe the sources of power for these teams, which include being in the flow of information, feeling that ones voice is heard by decision makers, and having opportunities for career growth and advancement. We also examine power dynamics across locations by team and show that having more balanced power was typically associated with more power struggles rather than fewer. Four of the 9 teams had ongoing power contests. Each of these teams had some sources of power at one location and other sources of power at the other location. Both sites worried about losing power, felt they should have more, and struggled against losing ground. We conclude with a discussion of the need for CSCW to expand beyond collaboration to address issues of power. We propose ideas for systems to support globally distributed teams in creating more equal access to more sources of power and alleviating unhealthy power dynamics.

THE DIALECTICAL DYNAMICS OF NESTED STRUCTURATION IN GLOBALLY DISTRIBUTED TEAMS.

The article examines the perceptions of cultural differences among members of globally-distributed work teams. Six software-development teams from EuroTech were chosen for study. Team activities we...

Learning Through the Ages: What Adult Development Theory Brings to Management Classes

The content theories of motivation that are presented in most management classrooms are so broad that their usefulness to managers is limited. Yet it is important for managers to have away of thinking about what people value or need. This article describes a design for a class session that uses adult development theory to help students see how motivation may change over the adult life cycle. Because the design hinges ondividing students into discussion groups by age, the session also offers a gentleway to raise awareness of other kinds of diversity in the classroom and workplace.