| This study explored the impact of cultural diversity on global virtual team effectiveness and in particular the influence of information and communication technologies use on this relationship. In order to develop an empirically-grounded model, the study used an interpretive approach to analyze interviews with team members from nine countries, who were employed by a leading Fortune 500 corporation in the computer industry. The research focused on intercultural communication among team members both in face-to-face and mediated situations and explored the processes of boundary spanning and media selection in the context of dispersed, heterogeneous, and virtual teams.; The study suggested that differences in language, verbal styles, and nonverbal styles influenced team effectiveness. Information and communication technologies mitigated the negative impact of cultural diversity on team effectiveness, and supported the positive impact. Particularly effective technologies included email, teleconferencing combined with e-Meeting, and team rooms.; Effective internal boundary spanning for internal team discontinuities involved internal brokers, technology mediation, and the support of a third language. Internal brokers were team members who shared face-to-face periods with their remote teammates and were engaged in intensive communication across discontinuities. Information and communication technologies were used for internal boundary spanning, which mediated cultural diversity impact, and for external boundary spanning, which supported creation and maintenance of team identity. Another method was the use of a written third language, which was non native, professional, or organizational.; Finally, the process of media selection was explored. Behavioral complexity theory explained the media selection process and suggested that the repertoire of behaviors of team members and their flexibility define effective technology use in complex and paradoxical ways. Media selection was influenced by factors such as social proximity and culture, physical proximity and time zones, variety of channels, preferences and accessibility of sender and receiver to use a specific channel, initial channel, and task.; This study has implications for management practice and also contributes to better understanding of global virtual team effectiveness. Analysis yielded a set of propositions, which illustrates these relationships and define possible directions for future research. |
