| While much research has been done on group dynamics in teams with members in one location (co-located teams), considerably less is known about group dynamics in teams with members dispersed in two or more countries who work largely through technologies such as e-mail, collaborative software, teleconferences, and videoconferences to achieve their joint objectives (global virtual teams). Members of these global virtual teams (GVTs) must contend with the complexities of working across multiple sites and national cultures, and often across time zones and company boundaries. My research is an inductive, grounded theory investigation into how GVTs manage conflict, a key group process, in the face of this complexity.; My sample has two components. In the “breadth” component, I have attempted to capture a wide range of experiences with conflict in GVTs through interviews and questionnaires administered to individuals from thirty-two distinct GVTs, representing a wide array of GVT types at twenty companies, spanning many industries. In the “depth” component of my sample, I studied three global virtual teams at one automotive supply company over several months through observation, interviews, and access to team documents.; Key contributions and findings of my research include first, a new typology for categorizing conflict management strategies used in GVTs. Second, I demonstrated that conditions often associated with GVTs (including limited meeting time, weak relationships, and site status differences) discourage team members from broaching conflict directly. Moreover, when they do engage in direct conflict management, the complexities associated with dispersion and cultural/language differences in particular, prompt team members to rely on coping mechanisms and shortcuts. The coping mechanisms are ways of structuring conflict management (structural strategies), and the shortcuts are ways of streamlining decision making (decision strategies) that favor non-consensus alternatives. I also identified how various dispersion patterns can impact conflict management. Third, I identified many circumstances in which e-mail is the favored conflict management mode for GVT members. I further identified the practice of using technology combinations to tackle difficult conflict issues when meeting face-to-face isn't possible. Finally, I provided practitioner recommendations designed to increase the likelihood of effective conflict management in GVTs. |
