Dorrie DeLuca

Virtual teams in and out of synchronicity

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an understanding of process improvement team member perceptions regarding the effectiveness of asynchronous e‐collaboration.Design/methodology/approach – A field‐based, two‐phase canonical action research study was conducted at two different sites. Data were obtained from observations and interviews of all team members. Media synchronicity theory was utilized to hypothesize the interplay of media capabilities, task communication processes, and team functions.Findings – Eight primarily virtual teams solved complex problems and provided feedback on the effectiveness of various communications media. The results support media synchronicity theory.Research limitations/implications – Media synchronicity theory provides an alternative explanation for studies both supporting and contradicting media richness theory. The teams in this study were newly formed. Further investigation of established teams and other contexts is warranted.Practical implications – For comp...

Communication flow orientation in business process modeling and its effect on redesign success: Results from a field study

Business process redesign has been intensely studied, particularly since the mid 1990s. One aspect that received little attention, however, is the relationship between business process modeling choices and redesign success. This research gap is addressed through a multi-methods study of 18 business process redesign projects conducted in 18 different organizations. A structural equation model is developed and tested based on data collected from those projects; the results are then triangulated with qualitative data. The structural equation model depicts relationships between the following broad perceptual constructs: communication flow orientation of a business process model, quality of a business process model, and business process redesign success. The communication flow orientation of a business process model is defined as the extent to which a model explicitly shows how communication interactions take place in a process. A models perceived quality is defined as the degree to which the model presents the following perceptual sub-constructs: ease of generation, ease of understanding, completeness, and accuracy. The results of the study suggest that the degree of communication flow orientation of a business process model is significantly related to the models perceived quality. Perceived model quality, in turn, is significantly related to perceived business process redesign success. Interestingly, a business process models perceived completeness does not seem to be influenced by a models communication flow orientation. The structural equation model accounted for 56% of the explained variance in the business process redesign success construct. The main implication of this study is that a focus on communication flows in business processes is an important ingredient in successful business process redesign projects.

Adaptations that Virtual Teams Make so that Complex Tasks Can Be Performed Using Simple E-Collaboration Technologies

Using the theoretical lens of compensatory adaptation theory, this study examines how organizational problem-solving teams adapt to lean media and effectively communicate. We examined several successful virtual teams using a bulletin board as their primary communication medium to perform complex process improvement tasks in their natural business environment. Although some established theories predict failure using lean media, savings from use of simple e-collaboration technologies provide motivation for conduct of virtual teams. Compensatory adaptation theory argues that e-collaboration technologies often pose obstacles to communication, and yet also lead to better team outcomes than the face-to-face medium. This study provides support for that theory. Members of the virtual teams reported adapting their communication to be more focused, clear, precise, neutral, concrete, concise, persuasive, considerate, and complete in order to overcome the obstacles posed by media of low richness. As a result of those adaptations, the teams perceived better quality and achieved success of the team outcome.

Improving Business Processes Electronically: An Action Research Study in New Zealand and the US

Abstract Behavior toward electronic communication media continues to present contradictory characteristics that often puzzle researchers. A review of past research on electronic communication suggests two possible reasons for this: a dearth of studies addressing complex problems faced by organizations through the use of electronic communication, and a lack of theoretical frameworks that incorporate apparent contradictions in electronic communication behavior. This study addresses these two limitations. The first limitation is addressed through the choice of an applied field research approach, namely action research. The second limitation is addressed through the use of a theoretical model to guide our study, the compensatory adaptation model, which addresses contradictory characteristics associated with behavior toward electronic communication media found in past research. We investigate the impact of the use of an asynchronous and distributed electronic communication tool on 8 business process improvement groups, 4 in New Zealand and 4 in the USA. The study suggests that even though the use of electronic communication media seems to increase the cognitive effort required from group members, it has a positive impact on knowledge sharing among group members and group outcome quality. These results are consistent across countries, and generally support predictions based on the compensatory adaptation model.